Twisted Betrayals
by TheQueenV
Summary: Lies and deceit can be difficult to work through. Betrayals are downright impossible. Life has a funny way of telling someone to start over, the when and the how given as certain people filter in. Can someone forgive? Or should they simply forget?
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_** _I haven't done a GTA story in quite some time. But this one has been running rampant through my mind for a long time, since before I even finished the game myself. The game, in my opinion, leaves so much to the imagination, and from the first day I was playing it, I was always thinking of little things - how a character would be here, how a character could fit in there... So this is my character that I've placed in that world. Hopefully she'll measure up to her surroundings! Thank you to anyone who reads this, and I hope you enjoy._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own any parts of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, nor do I intend to make any profits out of doing this. I just enjoy the game, and enjoy the random, fun things that are possible in the game._

 _"""""_

 _Lies and deceit can be difficult to work through. Betrayals are downright impossible. Karen never thought that the life would take her far away from her home, from her family. She never imagined that someone she put her trust, her heart into would crush her either. Life has a funny way of telling someone to start over, the when and the how given as certain people filter in. Can someone forgive? Or should they simply forget?_

 _"""""_

"Shit," she muttered in the nearly empty parking garage. Not only was the car the wrong color, a quick look at the vehicle's identification number told her that it was the wrong car in total. Wouldn't her mother be proud to know that she had skipped rocks across country to not only make a majority of her living being a car theft, but a screwed car theft. She didn't even want to image the look of disgust her father might give her knowing the truth.

Though she rarely ever fucked up a job, this was one she couldn't fix. That slick Armenian, Yetarian, had painted her into a corner with this deal. She didn't have a choice but to leave the car untouched. As far as she was concerned, Yetarian had better had the best explanation ever.

Movement near a red car on the opposite side of where she crouched against this erroneous vehicle caught her attention. _Damn,_ she thought as she scanned the exits that were available to her on the side visible to her. She could either try running the five levels down the spiraling ramp, or get the best workout of her life to get down the five flights of stairs next to the vehicle ramp. Deciding her best bet were the stairs, she quickly made a jolt for the metal door, thankful for the solid feeling of the black boots that encased her feet.

However, the motion of her escaping wasn't without notice.

" _Hey!_ "

A man's voice echoed throughout the parking level, the heavy metal door almost silencing it behind her. She had made it down one level before she heard the door open again, the man calling out again. Damn it if it wasn't the owner of the car that she was being paid to pilfer.

"Hey, man! Hold up!"

The calm aura that she usually exuded was slipping away, and faster than she wanted. Her own panting hummed in her ears as her heart picked up its pace. Digging into the front pocket of the over-sized black jacket she wore for the keys to her truck, she cursed as she heard another voice following the one that was chasing her. Reaching the bottom of the second level, she wanted to believe she could make it out before these two guys made contact with her, but that was a sheer dream.

Just as the heel of her boot touched down with the first step of the last flight of stairs, a hand of the man's grasped onto her jacket, making her jerk back as he crashed into her. She lost the grip of the keys jingling in her hand, the noise of them skidding down the cement steps ringing around them. Her black baseball cap flew off, landing somewhere behind them, and the man came tumbling down on top of her. Together, they rolled down to the bottom, neither of them able to stop the force of their momentum.

"Shit! Lamar!"

She could just barely hear the second guy as he swiftly made his way down to the scene.

"What the fuck are you doing, man! You could have broken your fucking neck with that shit."

Pushing the man off her, she grabbed at the back of her head. "Or mine."

The second guy, she assumed by the fact that he was standing, looked at her.

"You're a woman," he stated, ignoring the fact that his friend had barely moved.

"You're kidding," she said sarcastically. "As if I hadn't known all my life."

Sucking in air through his teeth with a clicking sound, the man then put his attention on his limp friend. "You alright, dude?"

Sitting up, he accepted the help of his friend's extended hand. "I'm fine. Rolling down a whole flight of stairs was exactly what I wanted to do this morning."

"Man, that was your fault. No one told you to go balls out chasing after someone we don't even know."

"Hey," she interrupted the bickering friends. "I like a good television show as much as the next person, but can we get this settled now?" She glanced each of them over once. "You guys cops or something?"

She stood on unsteady legs as she brushed herself off, the man who she could now identify as being named Lamar spoke.

"Does it look like we motherfuckin' cops?"

Snapping her gaze at him, her mouth flattened into a line. "Not with the way you sound."

"Damn," the second guy said with unbridled amusement.

"Shut up, Franklin," he quickly said. "I don't see you sticking your fucking neck out to get the job done."

"The job didn't include tackling some girl."

"We don't know who she is," he shot back. "She could be FIB or some shit. Simeon said this place would be empty – "

"Simeon?" she repeated, interrupting him. "Yetarian? At the dealership?"

"Yeah," Franklin said, taking in her features. Dark eyes, dark hair, and lips that could make any man want to buy the world for her. "He owns it."

Nodding her head, she filled them in on her business. "He sent me here for a pick up." She looked down at the open entrance area. The morning was almost upon them. "Only the VIN didn't match what I was told it would be. I'm not about to blindly snatch up something not knowing what the coincidental setup would be."

Franklin scoffed. "Coincidence my ass," he said, seemingly to be on her side. "Simeon knows the deal. He gives us the right information or there is no deal."

She eyed him warily. "Has he done this before?"

"Once or twice," Lamar told her. "He usually good with giving us accurate details about a pick up."

"Damn," Franklin then huffed out. "Now we gotta go back without a car and without a paycheck."

"Not exactly what I had planned either," she commented as she began making her way down to the entrance. "Early morning wasted."

"Hey," Franklin's smooth voice floated in her ear. "Before you go, what's your name?"

She hesitated to tell these two men her name. She hadn't seen them around before, despite them knowing and apparently working for Simeon as well. Strange how the Armenian had kept a lot of his contacts out of each others way. She would have figured he would benefit more by getting some of the associates to work on jobs together, but figuring out Simeon's mind was not something she cared for. The endless flirting, the unrefined and uncouth way he sometimes spoke to her, and the pure feeling of filth she received from him had made her castigate him several times. A handful of times she had been inclined to walk away, to go back home, but that idea was laughable.

Having a home was something she thought she'd never have. Everywhere she had been was simply a place she rested her head. Nothing was home, and hadn't been that way in a long time. Lowering her head at the mere thought of going back to Liberty City, back to Luis and the years she lived with his unfaithful ways... She couldn't go back to that. She wouldn't. Lifting her head to meet the curious stares of her newly found colleagues, she squared her shoulders.

"Karen," she said loud enough for them to hear. "Karen Vercetti."

"""""

"The fuck are you going on about, Yetarian?" Karen was quickly losing her patience with the man as she sat on a metal chair to untie her boots. "It was supposed to be a simple in and out job. I checked the VIN and the shit didn't match."

"Hey, man," Lamar said, tossing his hands up at the elder guy. "Was that a set up? Something quick you knew we wouldn't be able to get out of?"

"Why would I want to set you guys up, hmm?" Simeon asked. "Franklin, you are my best pick up man. Why would I want to destroy that?"

"I don't know, Simeon. You tell me." Franklin looked over at Karen. She was now neatly tying the long strings to her boots and placing them inside each respective boot cavity. "Why aren't we working with her is my real question. She would have gotten away from us if Lamar didn't throw shoulder at her like they was playing a ball game or something."

"Man, would you get over that," Lamar said, pushing Franklin out of his way. "Simeon, my dude, the three of us would make you a lot of money."

"Is this done?" Karen said as she stood from the chair. Her feet were slipped into sandals and she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Can I leave now? I don't see this being much more productive than it already has been. I think we all know how shady you really are, Simeon, and if it means that you can have your cake and eat it too, then there's no way you'd put us together. Bigger team means bigger cut, and you're just too cheap for that."

Franklin and Lamar watched her speak to the man they considered their boss in an awe-inspiring way. She spoke the truth, although neither of them would ever speak out in such a way. Not that they were scared. They just didn't care enough.

"Alright then," she said with a huff. "See you guys later."

The short walk out to the back of the lot was far too long for her. This was how it always was dealing with Simeon Yetarian for her. Shit hit the proverbial fan, words were exchanged, and she fled like the black plague was running across his car lot. Finally reaching her vehicle, she tossed her backpack onto the passenger seat and sighed as she took her seat in the driver's side. This was never going to end. This mindless carousel ride. It was as if her life were one big comedy act, one joke after the next. Times like this was when she silently wished her father were around, even for a minute.

"Hey," she heard the young black man's voice as he tapped on the window to the navy blue Bobcat.

Obliging him just a moment, she rolled down the window. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to get something to eat," he said. "There's this awesome place – "

She held her hand up, stopping him. "Franklin, was it? Yeah, don't take offense to this, but I'm not here to date anyone. I was just gypped out of more than half of what I was supposed to make today. So, forgive me if I'm being rude, but I just don't see us being buddy-buddy with each other. Okay?"

The young man stood there, seemingly studying her face, eventually giving her a short nod.

"Yeah, okay," he said in a sad tone. "Was just trying to be nice is all."

"Duly noted." Just as she was about to roll the window back up, a pang of guilt twisted in her chest as she watched the back of him. "Really," she told him as he walked away. "I appreciate it."

"""""

 _Three years later_

She didn't even have to see him to know he was there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, turning around towards the wooden cabinet she used as a closet. "I thought you had some car thing to do."

"We did it already," he simply said.

"And?" She turned to look at him. "You thought it was going to be okay with me if you broke into my house and laid your dirty boots all over my bed?"

Franklin clicked his tongue, swinging his legs down off her bed. "Your OCD is unbelievable." He stood, following her into the kitchen area. "How you get this far?"

She reached into the cabinet for a glass. "With my last name, you have to ask that?"

Giving him a wink, she had a smirk on her face that made Franklin lick his lips. He quickly recovered, lowering his head as he thought of what to say to her next.

"You going out?"

"What, later tonight?" She was facing the sink, Franklin at her back next to the refrigerator, but she knew he was expecting an answer that would benefit him.

"Just wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner," he said as he made his way to the side of her.

"With you, Frankie?" Turning the sink off, she grabbed the kitchen towel to dry her hands. "Sure. I just want to rest for a bit, then I'll take a shower and get ready."

As much as Franklin heard that they'd be the perfect couple, he just couldn't think of her like that. They were friends, and he already knew that neither one of them would ever go for that. They had known each other for just a few short years, becoming very close in a small amount of time. In their line of work, he knew that making one great friend was better than having a hundred mediocre ones.

Besides, arguing with her was something that never ended in the favor of anyone else but her own. She had a way with words that could make nearly any man drop to his knees just to get an ounce of mercy from her. Whether she sweet-talked one man and verbally assaulted the next, Franklin knew she'd always get her way. Which meant most men that approached her never got their way. She'd listed every reason in the book why she never took anything to the next level with any of the guys they worked with – work being her number one reason.

She was a professional by every sense of the term, and she kept it exactly that way. Franklin knew a bit of her background, who her father was and all he had done in her birth state of Florida, and there was never an instance where she didn't firmly stand her ground with a straight sense of direction. Dating happened to be something she didn't even mess with. She was here to make money, and make money she did.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yetarian, I'm outta here," she said, holding out her hand.

"Karen," the slick man said, attempting to smooth out her obvious anger. "My dear Karen, what do you mean you are out of here? You can't – "

"Now, Simeon," she said with more venom staining her tone. "You've been giving me the same runaround for weeks now. I want my final pay and then I'm gone."

"Runaround? Karen, what are you talking about? I am not giving you any runaround."

"Simeon, I'm going to say it one more time – "

The loud crash that echoed from the front room caught her attention, her head swinging to see a yellow SUV smashing into the large glass windows. Simeon left her side in a heartbeat, screaming.

"Franklin! What the fuck are you doing!"

She walked out of the office to see Franklin holding his head, and a man she'd never seen before standing behind him.

"Mr. Simeon, it's not exactly how it looks."

She turned her attention to the other man as he pulled out what looked like a few hundred dollar bills.

"I always trump big for a job well done," the man said as he handed Franklin the money. "Get outta here, kid."

"You motherfucker!" Simeon said as he reared up to fight the guy.

She didn't stick around to see it. Marching back into the office, she hastily slid open a drawer to Simeon's desk, snatched up the thick envelope, and exited out the back room. Shoving the envelope into her bag, she quickly climbed into the old pickup truck she drove and started off after Franklin.

"Get in," she told him as the vehicle rolled to a stop.

"Damn, am I glad I don't gotta walk."

"What the hell happened back there?"

He waved his hand, wanting the memory and the headache to disappear. "Man, Simeon sent me out for a repo that shouldn't have been one. Had to creep around some old dude's house, and he was sitting duck in the fuckin' back of the car. Put a gun to my head and demanded that I drive through the windows."

Karen listened carefully as she looked over at her friend. He seemed fine, minus the few cuts on his face and a finger that appeared to be cut open. Popping open the glove compartment, she threw a few random fast food napkins into his lap, motioning to his hand.

"Wrap that up and put pressure on it. Don't want you bleeding out in my car."

"Shit, thanks, Kar."

"You think we should go back for the dude?"

"Man, fuck him. Crazy old fucker. I understand him being upset, but he ain't have to put a gun to my fucking head. His son signed the papers."

"Privileged rich kids. Daddy doesn't pay him enough attention so he's gotta have some outrageously priced car, at an interest rate that would make anyone's eyeballs explode, just so he feels loved. That's what makes this world go 'round, Frankie."

"What the fuck ever," he said shutting the glove compartment. "I'm about done with this stupid shit. You know that I was telling Simeon that the other day, and he sent me and Lamar out on some stupid fucking bike pick up. Felt like a fucking setup to begin with."

"And then Lamar shot the guy?"

"Damn, he told you? He needs to keep his fucking mouth shut. He's gonna get clipped one of these days," Franklin grumbled.

"Who do you think he asked to go back and remove evidence?" she asked, then shook her head. "He's always going to be someone you need to look over, Frankie. That's never going to change."

"It's been like that since kindergarten. That shit don't never get old with him."

A half of a smile twisted her lips at Lamar's antics.

"So," she said as she came to a stop at a red light. "Want me to take you home or do you want to clean out your finger and go eat somewhere?"

"I should take my ass home and stop eating out so damn much, but fuck it. I'll figure things out later."

"Don't worry about that," she told him, her hand riffling through her bag. "Looks like we'll both be unemployed as of today." Her fingers grabbed the thick pad of money and she briefly held it up for him to see. "Our ex-boss's treat."

"You took that from him? Shit, he's gonna be one pissed off dude."

"He owes it to me." She tucked the money back into her bag. "He's been wanting to only pay me halftime lately. I was in the office talking to him about it when you decided to crash through the front. Good distraction though. Thanks."

Franklin laughed. "Shit, you real crazy, Karen. Anyone that doesn't want to pay you in full definitely wants some trouble. And I can't imagine how nice of a talk that conversation was."

"Not nice enough," she mumbled as they came to a stop in front of a drug store. "Sit tight. I'll get some supplies to bandage that and then we can go eat."

Franklin watched as she pulled open the store's door, lucky to have someone like her in his life.

"""""

"What do you mean you he wants you to meet with him? Is Michael dragging you into something?"

He chewed his food as he shook his head. "Nah, he's not bringing me into anything that I can't handle," Franklin said as he brought another forkful of the chicken and rice dish she prepared for him to his mouth. "He wants you to meet Trevor, too. I'm not even going to hesitate to say this dude sounds crazy as fuck."

"You mean, more crazy than the rest of us?" She sat beside him on the couch, a leg tucked underneath her. "What's the deal then? What are they doing?"

He took a sip of his drink as he looked at her. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah, of course," she said.

Nodding his head, he grabbed his plate only to place it down again as they heard the front door to the house open.

"Franklin?" his aunt's voice rang. "Franklin, you here?"

"Damn," Franklin mumbled out as his aunt made his way into the living room.

"Have you been here, bumming around all day?"

The lady stopped in her tracks as she noted a second person sitting next to her nephew. A bright smile drew upon her face from ear to ear.

"Why, hey there, Karen!" Denise said cheerfully. "I thought I smelled something too good to made by Franklin."

Franklin's eyes narrowed as his aunt tossed her yoga bag down.

"There's plenty more, Miss Clinton," Karen offered. "Would you like me to make you a plate?"

"That would be lovely, Karen. I just need to talk to Franklin for a moment," Denise said as she slowly walked to the far side of the living room.

Karen stood, just barely holding in the massive sigh she wanted to release. If there were only one bad person in Franklin's life, it had to be his aunt. She didn't particularly care for Denise, but she respected her enough, for Franklin's sake anyway. It seemed to make his relationship with his aunt less of a trouble.

As she prepared a presentable plate of food for Franklin's aunt, Karen's mind kept grinding. This Trevor guy that Franklin was a mere second away from telling her about caught her interest. Come to think of it, she didn't really like Michael all that much, but again, she respected him. He seemed to be more trouble than he was worth, and put shame on any definition of a decent man that she'd ever known in her life.

After all, she was a Vercetti, and had known no tougher man than her father.

"But nothing, Franklin," she heard Denise's voice raising out from the living room.

She listened carefully as she arranged the items on the plate with a precision. Anyone looking at her would simply think that she was just concentrating on making a plate of food, but she was doing much more than that. Her ears actually perked up at certain words and the way they were said. She may not have liked Denise, but she wasn't going to ignore the woman. She had been telling Franklin for a while now that she believed his aunt had ulterior motives when it came to this house that he co-owned with Denise.

Karen believed the woman was no good on top of being extraordinarily annoying.

"Well, you don't have to worry, because I won't be here," Franklin abruptly said, the tone of his voice sounding as though he were already exhausted this early in the afternoon.

Karen placed a piece of toasty, buttered bread on the plate, and with the biggest smile she could ever pretend to have, she grabbed up the plate and brought it into the living room. Franklin had picked up his own plate, walking past Karen, foul expression plastered over his face, and into the kitchen. She temporarily ignored it to carefully hand his aunt her food.

"Here you are," Karen said brightly. "Cheesy chicken and rice with a touch of fresh lemon juice, green beans, carrots, and of course a side salad." She watched as Denise's face lit up. "Would you like anything else?"

"Oh, no, dear. Please, you do too much already. You should sit down and relax."

Karen heard Franklin let out a deep breath quite loudly. The sarcastic air didn't go unnoticed by Denise, who automatically narrowed her eyes in Franklin's direction. Karen had lost count on how many times she told Franklin not to rise to the occasion of his aunt's prodding. But he did, and it ruffled his feathers nearly every time. Now turning back into the kitchen, she placed the food still remaining on Franklin's plate into a Tupperware, as well as putting whatever was left in the pot in its own container.

Franklin disappeared into the room he used, shutting the door behind him, and by the time Karen had quickly washed up the pots and utensils she had used to cook the meal, he emerged dressed in different clothes.

"And where do you think you're going?" Denise's voice questioned as he walked into the living room for his hat.

"Man, I don't have time for this," he mumbled as he went into the kitchen, taking a hold of his container of food. "You ready?"

"Give me a minute," Karen told him. "Have to potty." She saw the inquisitive look on his aunt's face, hearing the questions she had for him shortly after she made her way to the bathroom. When she came out a minute or two later after drying her hands on a bathroom towel, Denise was still going at it. This time, she did try to block out the woman's squawking voice as she entered the living room once more to get her bag and jacket.

"You just worry about you, okay?" Franklin said in a final tone. His attention turned to Karen as she slid on her denim jacket, then pulled out a small bottle of lotion, placing a dab of it into her palm, then slipping the bottle back into her leather bag before slinging the bag over her shoulder. He turned to his aunt again, the most irritated look on his face. "Don't wait up."

"So nice to talk to you again, Miss Clinton."

Karen was briskly rubbing her hands together, dissolving the lotion as she followed Franklin out the door. Opening the passenger side door on the white Buffalo he drove for her, she reached into her bag for her sunglasses as she slid into the car, shutting the door and waiting for him to start the car. The engine rumbled to life as Franklin placed the food container on the back seat.

"Okay," Karen said as she put on the dark bronze shades. "Let's go meet up with this motherfucker."

"""""

When they arrived at the spot, Karen's eyes immediately fell on the helicopter sitting to their right.

"What's the chopper for?" she asked Franklin, receiving a shoulder shrug in response.

"I don't know, Kar," he said as his Buffalo came to a stop. Switching off the ignition, he slowly opened the car door, taking notice of a man that he'd never seen before standing next to the helicopter. Next to that man, was a balding guy who seemed to be taking a less than pleasant tone with the guy.

"What is this about?" Karen quietly asked, more to herself than to Franklin, and she followed him up to the two men.

Less than a few minutes later, Michael arrived, being driven by a man she didn't know.

"Who's that cagey motherfucker? Huh?" the balding man asked Michael, then turned to the helicopter guy. "No, uhh, it's another cagey motherfucker, alright? Not you."

Karen watched as he gave the guy a shove, Michael quickly intervening.

"Hey, T, enough with the faux political bullshit!"

The older man then gave the guy a nod to make his way from the group. Michael turned to her and Franklin as the guy walked away.

"Franklin, Karen... come on, you guys better take off," he told them. "Really."

"Shit, I'm good," Franklin said without hesitation. "I ain't bailin'."

"Whoa," the other man said, causing Karen to look at him. "What, am I detecting some, ah, some sort of 'son I never had' bullshit here, Mikey, huh?" He turned to the young man, holding a hand out. "Hey listen, if you want to replace some father figure, you can do a lot better than this fat snake, alright. This fucker would eat his own kids."

"Like I said, Franklin... Deranged."

"Yeah," the man said. "And best friend."

That caused Michael to give a short laugh. "Exactly." Michael walked a few short feet away from them, giving out introductions, pointing first to the man. "That's Trevor. My best friend. That's Franklin, the son I always wanted. And this is his friend Karen, a rare and valuable asset in this shithole."

Franklin shook Trevor's hand first. Karen stood back, absorbing every detail of this moment. Franklin seemed to have to pull his hand away from the aggressive man named Trevor, and she bit her lip as the man held his hand out to her. She realized it wasn't the firm handshake he had given to Franklin, rather a more gently held shake. Trevor also tipped his head toward her, giving her the chance to look into his hazel-colored eyes.

"Alright, guys, listen, this is the shot," Michael began. "I'm going to do all the heavy lifting on this job. Okay? Trevor, all I need you to do is fly me to the target. Franklin, you're going to cover me from across the street. We're going to make these assholes happy, and we're gonna walk away from this thing clean. Got it?"

Franklin nodded. "We got you."

Karen waited for them to finish their planning, thoughts racing through her mind. What kind of job was this? It seemed as though Michael was pulling Franklin into something that just didn't sit right with her. Red flags were being thrown up in her mind, but she held her tongue for now.

They started walking towards Franklin's car when Trevor's voice caught her attention.

"Nice to meet you, homie," the man said sarcastically.

Franklin waved a hand at him as he walked. "Yeah, whatever."

Karen's thoughts were still going full speed as they left the area. They were on the highway, driving to their destination before Karen opened her mouth to say anything.

"And what exactly are we doing?" she asked him.

"Covering Michael," he replied. "I just need to you stay in the car so we can make a quick getaway."

"Oh," she sang out. "So I'm the getaway driver again. Good to know my talents are useful."

Franklin glanced her way, shaking his head as she smiled at him.


	3. Chapter 3

"A fucking informant?" she seethed. "What the fuck kind of FIB shit are you working for?"

"Yeah, Mikey!" Trevor shouted after her.

"What the fuck kind of person do you think I motherfucking am? Because I ain't no fucking rat!"

"Karen, whoa, calm down," Michael pleaded.

"I'm not calming down shit! You drag me and Franklin into this bullshit and expect us to be okay with it?! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you might not know exactly where I come from, but I didn't get this far by being a fucking rat!"

Franklin stood when she jumped up, placing a hand on her stomach to prevent her from lunging at the older man.

"How fucking dare you bring us into this FIB piece of shit informant fuck!" she spat out as she pointed a finger towards Michael.

"Alright, okay! I get it. I'm sorry! But this is what I gotta do." He, too, stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Okay? I gotta do this because if I don't, they're going to fucking turn on me."

"Then turn yourself in," she said with no sympathy for his sad story. "You turn your-fucking-self in. You don't throw the people that you open your fucking lips to call friends under the bus! That's not what friends do!"

"Oh really?" Michael replied sarcastically. "And what do you fucking know about life and friends? You're twenty-something years old with your whole life ahead of you! You've not been tarnished enough to know what life can really do to you."

Trevor then stood up. "Like you would understand what she's saying, _Mikey_. Turning on people is exactly what you fucking do."

"Not you, too."

"Yeah me, too, you fucking pot-bellied snake."

"Hey," Franklin said, interfering with the arguing that he feared would turn into a full-fledged fight. "Guys, it ain't helping fighting like this. Everyone needs to calm down."

"Fuck this shit," Karen huffed out, finally regaining her breath. "You going to drive us out of here, Frankie? Or do I have to walk? Either way, I'm not fucking staying here another goddamn minute."

Franklin kept his eyes glued on her as she made her way across the cement path to his vehicle. With some hesitation, he glanced between the two older men. Not wanting to cause anymore friction, he turned to Michael.

"You need anything, you know where to find me," he said then began making his way towards Karen. He heard Trevor talking behind him, but ignored it. Whatever issues those two had was way beyond his understanding.

Inside his Buffalo with Karen, she seemed even more irritated than she did while talking to Michael. She rifled through her denim bag, finding a piece of gum and her sunglasses. It was quiet as he started the long drive back to Karen's house. While on the highway, she pushed the sunglasses to the top of her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Is it just me, or does Michael seem to dismiss the value of friendship?"

"I don't know, Kar," Franklin said with a roll of his shoulders. "I mean, whatever him and Trevor went through was probably something serious. One of them was bound to be hurt doing this."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they followed me here, too. I was dealing with some of the same shit back in Liberty." Looking down at her hands, she absentmindedly picked at the nail polish on her fingernails. "I can't believe this. Different state, same shit. Move to the other side of the country, and I'm still dealing with government and rat bastards."

Franklin didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't imagine anyone turning on Karen, but people had a way of testing the faith of others. When he glanced at her, there was a hint of tears in her chocolate eyes. Feeling his heart drop into his stomach, he placed his hand over hers.

"Come on, don't cry, Kar," he said softly. "If you don't want to deal with those two old dudes, then let me handle it. You don't have to."

Shaking her head, she sniffled. "I can't let you go at it alone. What kind of person would I be if I let that happen knowing what he could be dragging you into? I can't let that happen."

Franklin sighed, pulling his hand away to place back onto the steering wheel as he turned the vehicle. "Too good a person, Karen. For this city anyway."

"""""

Karen didn't know what to think as she stepped into the grand house that Michael lived in with his wife and two children. The house appeared to be empty of anybody except for one middle-aged man sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the ottoman in front of the television. Karen's brows knit together as she watched the man scratch at his lower regions.

"What you doing here?" Franklin asked as the two made their way to stand in the living room.

The man, scraggly hair upon his head and with a face that looked as though it hadn't been washed properly in weeks, looked up at them with such a disinterest, it almost made Karen laugh.

"Why the hell are you here?" the man mirrored.

Franklin held his hand up. "Hey, man, Michael told me to come over. Do you know where he is?"

The man's eyes shifted from Franklin to Karen, who shadowed behind him.

"Now that I know why you're here, what about you, dollface?" he questioned as he sat up straighter on the couch. He tossed the remote to the television down onto the ottoman as he removed his feet from it. "Our pal Michael tell you to come over, too?"

"Trevor!"

Karen heard his footsteps steadily come down the tiled staircase, turning around to see another mid-forties man, although like always, he was pleasantly dressed in pleated slacks and a crisp dress shirt. Nice enough though Michael was, Karen always thought his outfits were his way of trying to cling onto any decency left in his life.

"Trev, you remember Karen, right? You briefly met her before that thing," Michael said as he quickly came around to the front of the couch where he promptly shoved a thick envelope in Trevor's direction. He had another thinner envelope tucked underneath his arm. "She'll be helping us with our doings along side with Franklin here."

"Nice to see you again," she replied, turning to Trevor with a smile. The man's eyes lingered on her for much longer than necessary, and what should have been an uncomfortable stare, really wasn't. She cleared her throat, and looked towards Michael. "You have something for us to do?"

Keeping her eyes on Michael, she walked around the back of the couch, sitting on the far end away from Trevor. His eyes had slung right back to her as she crossed her legs lazily in front of her.

"I'm glad you asked, because yes, I do."

"Alright then," Franklin said, taking a seat on the chair sitting by itself adjacent to the couch. "Fill us in."

"""""

It was unusually cold as she sat in the car, in a nearly abandoned parking lot, waiting for Michael to make his deal.

"I thought Trevor was going to meet us here," she said to Franklin. Her teeth was on the verge of chattering wildly. "I didn't even want to be in Michael's house earlier. I surely don't want to wait for his ass."

"He's going to meet Michael somewhere else while we drop off the money." Placing his phone on the dashboard, he looked over at Karen, confusion practically written on his face. "I thought you were from Liberty City. Shouldn't you be used to the cold?"

"I haven't lived there in years," she said in her defense. "That's like asking someone who lives in the ocean if they'd like to be dry."

Franklin parted his lips to say something, but quickly stopped himself, going over her words in his head. "Why would someone live _in_ the ocean?"

Karen broke out in a laughter, shaking her head. "I have no idea. I just know I'm freezing."

Before Franklin could say anything, Michael made his way out of the gray building and to the car they were sitting in.

"Listen here," he said, passing them an envelope through the driver's side window. Karen took the envelope and gave it to Franklin. "You're going to go downtown and meet Trevor at my garage. I want you to hand this to him, and then you're going to follow him to the FIB building to meet with Dave."

"Dave?" Karen quickly said. "Why are we meeting with that asshole?"

"You'll know when you get there," he simply said. "Okay, I have to go meet with a few other guys, but call me as soon as you two are done with this."

"Sure thing, man," Franklin said as Karen started up the car's engine. She waited until Michael had shut the driver's door of his own car before commenting.

"One thing I hate about working with dude is the fact that he's never consistent. Plans change too much with him. Too unsure of himself, and fucking shady as anything I've ever seen."

"Man, I don't know. He's got some beef with Trevor, I know that much."

"He ever tell you about that?" Karen asked as they pulled out onto the road. "He seems to take to you way more than me."

"Maybe that's because you wanted to rip his throat out the other day."

"Do you really blame me? Bringing us into this federal shit. Now they're breathing down our necks, too, like we owe them rent money."

"Would you rather deal with confused middle-aged homie, or would you rather deal with crazy, psychotic middle-age killer? Which one is better?"

"Trevor's not so bad," she said, hearing him scoff instantly. "I mean, sure, he scares a lot of people, but – "

"And he don't scare you?"

Karen paused to think. "Honestly, no."

Franklin scoffed again. "Well, ain't that a match made in heaven."

Karen rolled her eyes, although the smile on her face betrayed the motion. "All I'm saying is that at least Trevor is consistent."

"Oh, consistently crazy is better than nothing, right?"

"Michael is fucking crazy," Karen pushed. "Just not in the way Trevor is. Michael is the one waking up every morning asking what the fuck he's doing with his life. Trevor's not doing that. A crazy, clean conscience is better than wishing you were someone else."

"Michael's got a wife and kids to look out for," Franklin added. "Don't you think that has something to do with the fact that he's walking around like nothing's wrong with him?"

"Sure," Karen said, glancing into the side mirror to check for traffic before taking a turn. "And I commend him for that. But he's still nothing more than a facade, a shell of himself and whatever life he had before coming here. You're about the only one out of any of us that hasn't ran from their past."

"Man, I did enough running as a kid though. It wasn't easy always trying to keep Lamar out of trouble."

"Because you're a good friend, Frankie." She looked over at him for a second, seeing a face that belonged to someone way beyond their years. "It's not very often we come across people who are willing to stop their lives to help everyone else out."

Karen could question herself as to why she was putting her life on hold for someone that she didn't owe it to. Michael. Then again, what else was she going to do? Out a job with no other way to support herself other than on the savings she had, which she didn't want to burn through right away, she seemed to have no other real option. As far as she was concerned, she'd go on this little ride with Michael, see how far it can take her before she had to bail out.

It was better than being left out. She'd rather be part of the action than to wonder what the hell was going on around her. She had been through that enough in Liberty City. She didn't want to continue to experience it in what she was trying to make a new home. Things were proving to be difficult enough without complicating them further. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to make this place a home yet. Perhaps she would wonder off somewhere else after everything was said and done here. Perhaps she'd finally land in a spot where chaos didn't follow her.

She knew she wasn't exactly avoiding it now, speeding down a highway, with an envelope that held a larger amount of money than what she could explain. Not to mention the small stick drive tucked in with it. Even the dumbest cop wouldn't buy a story that they were simply dropping it off for the next fool to deal with. Her and Franklin both would hear the tell-tale clicks of handcuffs faster than they could tell police officers to fuck off.

Yet, she followed the chain of command. She listened, Franklin listened, both doing as they're told. Michael and Trevor tell them what needs to be done. And above that by a hair on his head was Lester, pulling everything together. But she wouldn't think of the chaos right now. Right now, she'd concentrate on the stretch of open road before them, listening to whatever Franklin had tuned to on the radio. Right now, things were calm, easy-going, and she was just waiting for something to really tip the cup over.


	4. Chapter 4

Karen was folding the last of her clothes when the text message made her phone buzz around the kitchen table. Just barely reading the message, Franklin's musical tone then began chiming out.

 _"Man, Karen, did you read this text from Michael?"_

"I didn't get one from him. Got one from Trevor, though. Why? What's going on?"

 _"Trevor wants us to meet him down in Vespucci Beach."_

"Well, that's pretty far from me. I'm not sure if I'll go. Do you know what's happening?"

 _"Something crazy, no doubt. You sure you can't come? I sure as hell don't want to be with those two crazy assholes all by myself."_

She looked around, sighing. So much for taking a day off to clean.

"Yeah, Frankie, I'll be on my way."

 _"Cool. I'll see you there."_

Tucking her clothes away in the proper drawers and tossing the basket into her closet, she changed and grabbed the keys to her old Bobcat. This had to be something good for Trevor to want to drag her all the way from Sandy Shores into the city.

"""""

The few hours drive left her leg cramping as she found her way through the small maze of streets and back alleys. When she arrived at the destination, she saw all their vehicles crammed into the spaces underneath the stairway. Parking behind Franklin, seeing him just open his car door, she greeted him as they each stepped out of their vehicles.

"You seriously just got here? You're like two hours closer to this place than I am."

"I think you underestimated just how much I don't want to hear them bicker, home girl. You know they bound to argue every time they get together."

"I'm kind of getting use to it now. It's like not having to change a record to listen to it."

"Yeah, a broken fucking record."

Franklin headed up the staircase first, and she followed, happily stretching her legs as she took the steps two at a time up to the apartment door.

Trevor's voice gripped her as Franklin opened the door.

"With the stars in his eyes... "

"It's not like that," Michael then said.

"What's not like that?" Franklin asked. Karen shut the door behind them as they walked into the apartment. She did her best to ignore the mess she came to see, knowing that it had to be Trevor's doing. He wasn't one for cleaning.

"Hey! Hey there," Trevor greeted them. "You and him, the old father-son issues. Gives me the fuckin' creeps."

Franklin only held amusement on his face as they watched a man kneeling, massaging Trevor's leg. "How's the leg rub?"

"Oh, it's excellent," Trevor exclaimed, pointing to the man. "You wanna go?"

Franklin simply chuckled. "No, I'm good, dog."

"Hey, I-I called you boys here to discuss this job that I've been planning."

Karen watched Franklin bump fist with Michael and took a place standing behind Franklin as he approached an empty wall on which Trevor had things written. She backed up after a few moments, taking a seat on a stool.

"The fuck are you talkin' about?" Michael asked as he held out his hands.

"Shut the fuck up, Michael, alright? You owe me."

"Hey, did you talk to Lester?" he asked Trevor, brushing off his comment.

"I called him," Trevor said calmly. "He's in the hospital or something, alright? We keep him out and we get twenty percent. Well, unless of course, you go states again and, uh, have me arrested."

"Hey, it wasn't like that," Michael defended.

"It better not have been," Trevor told him in an eerily sedated tone.

"Yeah, like you give a fuck?" Michael shot back.

"Oh, see I give a fuck, Michael. It's a position. A fucking viewpoint, alright? Like God. Like evolution. Like anything else. Sunshine, boredom, lies. That's what we got. Other people, they have other worlds, but for me? I'm like a vulture just circling the desert lookin' for fuckin' corpses, y'know? A carrion eating motherfucker. Do you understand that?"

Karen's brow twisted in surprise. Whatever had gone on between the two of them was much deeper than she imagined.

"Wow... " Michael slowly said as he began clapping. "Whoo! Bravo! You fucking idiot!"

Franklin seemed to want to ignore their intimate one-on-one time, trying to get right to the point of the meeting.

"Man, I still don't get the score. What's the fuckin' plan?"

Trevor turned back to the board. "We got Floyd, alright? Now, Floyd is going... not... Fuck, get outta here, alright."

Karen looked to the side of the room to see the jumpy man disappear from view.

"Now Floyd here works at the port. He puts me under Merryweather security who are running some tests out at sea for Uncle Sam. We're gonna take whatever it is they're testing."

Michael shook his head with disbelief.

"Now," Trevor continued. "Got a couple buyers lined up. I guarantee no problems and no major heat." He walked away from the board, leaving the three a little stunned and slightly confused. "Let's get going, alright? Let's take our slightly-past-it-vibe to an airfield where I've got a sub, I got a chopper, I got everything that we need. Alright, let's do this, ya fucks!"

Trevor passed each of them clothes out of a bag.

"I'll change in the bedroom here," Michael said, taking the wetsuit Trevor handed him and shutting the bedroom door behind him.

"Man, why ain't you just tell us to wear some black clothes?" Franklin asked as he changed into a long sleeved black shirt. "Wouldn't that have been easier?"

Trevor seemed to think about it for a moment. "Easier, sure. But this is bonding time, Frankie. This is a rare opportunity for us to come _closer_ to one another, alright?"

"I'm about as close to you as I want to be, homie," he said before walking into a second bedroom and shut the door.

"What about you?" Trevor asked Karen as she unzipped the black hoodie in which she was handed. "Not going to join those two fucks in complaining?"

Karen flashed him a smile as she pulled the hoodie on. "I'm just fine." She fluffed her hair out from underneath the hoodie and stepped into the bathroom. "I must have been the only one with any sense to wear black in the first place."

Trevor quickly changed, slipping on his own black hoodie. "I hope an extra large is okay," he told her, watching as she combed her hair back with her fingers and neatly twisted a bun in place.

"Hey," Michael said as he stepped out from the bedroom. "Give her a break, T. You're breathing down her neck."

He straightened up at Michael's words. "I was just making sure that she was comfortable, Mikey. I'm not a rude fuck like you are."

"Can we not do the whole arguing thing today, huh, okay? This isn't exactly going to be a walk in the fucking park."

"Man, Kar, didn't I tell you that they'd do nothing but bicker?" Franklin asked, sucking in a breath through his teeth.

"Ready to go?" Michael asked, ignoring the look Trevor was burning into him.

"Ready as a fucking ripe peach to be plucked," he then commented, following Michael out the door.

Karen followed behind Franklin, pulling the door shut as they descended the stairs.

"Sandy Shores Airfield, if you please," Trevor called out.

"We'll take my car," Michael said. "It's the least conspicuous."

"Sure thing, dog," Franklin said opening a back passenger door, taking a seat behind Trevor. Karen followed suit on the other side.

"Sandy Shores? That's quite a distance," Michael commented as he started up his sedan.

"What's with this guy?" Trevor asked.

"Man, I didn't realize we was going all the way out there either," Franklin added.

"I've been told your generation are workshy... repeatedly," Trevor started. "But this is the first time I've seen it for myself. You won't leave the city for the biggest take of your life?"

Frank sighed. "Man, it's not like that."

"Well, what is it like, huh? You think the world owes you a living? You want money and respect, but you won't cross the street to get it?"

"That useless millennial shit is more of a middle class thing. Where I'm from, hustling is still hustling... and going halfway across the state is still, uhh, going halfway across the state."

"Yeah, well, Sandy Shores is the global headquarters for TP Inc., okay? So we gotta make the trip."

"TP Inc.?"

"Trevor Philips Industries, my company," he informed.

"Industries or incorporated?" Michael questioned. "If it's TP Inc., it'd be Trevor Philips Incorporated. Just sayin'."

"You're mocking me," Trevor said sarcastically. "Nice. Is it so strange that I've made a success of my life? I know that wasn't what you wanted for me when you ran off, but still... "

"Trevor," Michael warned.

"It's a business, Michael, an honest American business, and there aren't many of them left. Hey, you know this airstrip we're going to, we're managing it."

"Yeah," Michael chuckled out. "I hate to think of what you did to the last managers."

"The Lost MC LLP experienced an unexpected downturn. We had to step in," he said matter-of-fact.

"The Lost Motorcycle club," Michael remarked and then laughed. "Yeah, you're a serious businessman, T."

"I cannot believe this," Trevor started again. "The hard working entrepreneur is getting shit from a guy so lazy he retired in his thirties, and then from this other guy whose sense of entitlement is so strong he asks, 'How far we have to travel?' when he's offered a job he ain't even qualified to do! This is why the country is screwed! There's not enough mes, there's too many yous!"

Karen bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Yeah! A country full of yous," Michael scoffed out. "That's just what this world needs."

"Shit would get done. It would be Darwinian."

"Hey, look, dude," Franklin cut in. "We helping you out, but if you think you'd be better off on your own... "

"No, no, no," Trevor said quickly. "Hey, look, hey, okay, gah. Let's all just calm down, alright? We have a scored to take. There is profit to be made. I mean, don't that beat getting picked up by G-men and forced to work for free?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright," Michael said, clearly having had enough of Trevor's rants. "Talk us through exactly what's going on."

"We're going out to Sandy Shores... "

"I know that part."

"My guys will meet us there, they'll have the submarine. I'm going to get into said submarine, then... Wait, hold on," he said adjusting in his seat so he could look at Michael. "You had the flying lessons, right?"

"Hey, I came prepared. I didn't know what I was preparing for, but I'm feeling pretty confident in the air."

"Good, good, good."

"And what's the next part of the plan?" Karen then asked, locking eyes with Trevor as he suddenly looked towards her. He took a moment, staring, before he turned to face forward in his seat and continued on with more.

"There's an army chopper at the airfield. You all are getting into it. Michael's flying. He's going to take off, pick up the submarine with me in it, and flying out to a point off the coast. You're going to drop me into the ocean. I'll pilot the sub down to find this device the government's been testing. I'll get it, surface, you'll fly me back to the airfield."

"What kind of device?" Franklin asked, a bit frustrated.

"What _kind_ doesn't matter, how much we'll be paid for it does matter."

They approached the air strip, Michael parking next to a hangar. To their left was a massive cargo helicopter. Karen also noted a yellow submarine a few yards away.

"This is our airfield," Trevor said as he stepped out of the vehicle. "How about it?" He walked over to the yellow machinery. "And here's my submarine. Floyd, Wade, stand by the hangar."

"I guess this is our chopper," Franklin said as he and Michael opened the doors to it.

Karen took a seat in the back, next to a large machine gun. She just barely buckled herself in as the helicopter lifted off, hovering over the submarine after a few minutes. She had a bad feeling about this, but she wasn't about to cast doubt on Trevor. He may not have clearly planned this out, but he had put a lot of thought into it. On the earpiece, she heard crackling while Trevor was speaking, and then Franklin came through clearer.

"Trevor, you got your company name sprayed all over this chopper, but, uhh, everything else about it says military."

"Yeap," she heard Trevor confirm. "I got it from the military base."

"And there's all this military hardware in the back. Guns and whatnot."

"Mhm," Trevor said. "This thing gets hot, they'll come in handy.

Then she heard Michael's voice.

"Hey, I thought it wasn't getting hot? You said no major heat. In fact, you guaranteed it."

"It's a score, Michael," Trevor simply said. "Even if you don't anticipate heat, you prepare for it. That's the code."

"That's why I don't take scores. Not anymore. I'm out of the game, man. What am I doing?"

"Oh really? You don't take scores?"

"No!" he denied. "Not anymore."

"What say you, Franklin?" Trevor asked in a tone that made Karen's lip twist in laughter.

"I say this is a conversation between you two," the younger man replied.

"So," Trevor pushed. "That wasn't you guys, then, at the Rockford Hills Jewel Store?"

"Hey, that's right around the corner from my house, T," Michael stated. "I mighta been there _buying_ something for Amanda. I certainly wasn't robbing it."

Karen rolled her eyes at that.

"Oh-ho-ho-oh, okay, my mistake," Trevor's voice said with a sarcastic note. "It was a pretty tight job though, eh? The planning was there, they went in, right? They got out clean. I mean, there were some problems, but they kept their heads, right? Heh, pulled it off."

There was slight moment of quietness.

"Alright, alright," Michael finally said. "It was us. Of course it was us. Any other clowns would be in Bolingbroke now."

Listening to the chatter between Michael and Trevor as they finally reached the destination, Karen's nerves hadn't eased any. She looked on as Trevor was dropped into the waters below them. After a few minutes, she heard Trevor's voice again.

"Ah, it's working! I'm picking up a signal."

Blocking out whatever else he was saying, Karen looked around, carefully observing anything unusual. Michael must have been reading her mind because the next words she heard him say mirrored how she felt.

"Come on, get to it, man. An ex-army helicopter hovering by this platform's going to raise suspicions."

She really must give De Santa more credit.

"You see anything interesting?"

"Just rocks so far," Trevor answered. "Oh, wait, here it is. It's been secured to the seabed. I'll see if I can pry it loose."

After a few more minutes, Trevor's voice crackled through again.

"Got it. I'm surfacing."

As Trevor was ascending, Franklin spoke.

"Hey, man, so you, uhh, got the thing... what is it?"

"We'll know what it is when we run some tests," came Trevor's reply.

"Well, what it look like? What you think it is?" Franklin asked some more.

"Ahh, best guess, it was hooked into the rock, maybe on a fault line, so... Could be a seismic suppressor to combat earthquakes and tsunamis. Or, no!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Potentially it's like a fusion reactor running on sea water."

"Like, nuclear?" Franklin asked.

"Yeeaaahh, the good kind of nuclear."

"And is this what your buyer was after?"

"Yeah, oh, for sure. We'll be paid, Frankie. We will be well paid."

Just then, the yellow of the submarine popped up from the watery depth below. Karen held on tightly as the aircraft descended to the water's surface.

"Lift me up," she heard Trevor push. "Let's go."

Once the helicopter had properly attached to the submarine, she heard Trevor's voice again.

"Alright, we're hooked up. Now, let's go back to Sandy Shores."

She exhaled, feeling slightly better now that they were heading back to the airfield.

"Push the stick, Michael. We got to move," Trevor urged. "'Cause I found this thing using an app on my phone, which means the private army guarding it can find it pretty easy, too."

"Really, Trevor?" Michael groaned. "That's _just_ great."

A few minutes passed before Karen noticed the small, black speedboats funneling towards them. She didn't hesitate to take a hold of the machine gun nestled next to her and aim at them.

"And here they are," Trevor rasped out with amusement. "Merryweather boats coming at speed!"

Franklin shifted into the back, quickly strapping himself in before taking up the machine gun opposite of where Karen sat shooting at the boats. A boat exploded somewhere beneath them, Karen aiming at another one following it.

"Grab those guns and get those guys off our ass," Michael asserted. "More boats and a chopper coming from the right!"

"Hold steady," Franklin calmly said. "Here we go!"

In a few swift shots, the pilot to the helicopter attacking them fell out, landing into the ocean. The helicopter itself soon followed, spiraling into a watery grave.

"They're out!"

"Hey, you picking these guys up?" Michael asked. "More of these Merryweather choppers, right there!"

Karen heard the loud shouting from the pilot inside the second attack helicopter that was hovering close to her side. With a shaky aim from Michael having to dodge, she took a few shots at the pilot, relieved when the helicopter ceased to fly alongside them. However, another soon took its place, and she continued to shoot.

"Ah! Here's another one!"

Karen impatiently tapped at the buckle on her seat belt, and climbed to a machine gun mounted on a middle, back platform. With a fortunately lucky easy shot, she took out another pilot.

"That's the last one I see!" she said into her piece.

"I think that's all of them for now," Franklin said.

"Alright, keep on going to the airstrip," Trevor directed.

Sighing, Karen slouched back, breathing deeply for a few minutes before moving back to her seat.

"What was that, T?" Michael asked, the aggravation clearly heard in his voice.

"I told you," Trevor said lightly. " _That_ was Merryweather."

"Those choppers," Franklin put in. "Man, that ain't normal private security guards."

"Yeah, you're right," Trevor told him. "I have it on good authority that they're actually a lizard army who've taken human form to do the bidding of the new world order."

Karen wasn't entirely sure if Trevor was joking or not.

"I hope you can flip this thing fast, 'cause I don't wanna see those reptile buddies of yours ever again," Michael said to him.

As the sandy area appeared closer to their horizon, Karen realized that the helicopter was slightly smoking from somewhere. They must have taken more damage than she cared to notice while they were fending off the attack. But the respite she felt as Michael slowly lowered the lumbering aircraft left her uncaring about whatever would happen to this piece of machinery.

With the submarine released and the smoking helicopter touched down, she nearly jumped out of her seat, hearing Trevor shout with victory. Before he could say anything, she saw Lester hobbling over to the submersible, pushing Wade out of his way.

"Do you know what you've fucking done?!" he yelled out. "The wire is going fucking crazy!"

Trevor jumped down from the side of the submarine. "Oh, and good to see you, too! What's it been, huh? Ten years?"

"After this, the government won't care how long it's been," Lester told him. "They're going to put you and everyone you ever knew on their kill list. And you!"

Karen saw his finger immediately shoot to Michael, who was just climbing down from the pilot's seat.

"I thought you would be smarter than this!"

Michael held his hands out. "What did I do?"

"Stealing a super weapon to sell to the Chinese!"

"Damn, T," Franklin said. "This some nuke or some shit?"

"I thought you said you spoke to him?" Michael said, baffled by Trevor's thoughtlessness.

"Yeah, I did!" Trevor bumbled out. "Okay? Kind of. I mean, he was all woozy and shit. It doesn't matter, alright? It's done. We've got it."

"Well, we could put it back," Lester said. "Drop it in the sea. By the time they get a salvage operation together... "

"No!" Trevor immediately negated.

"Oh, so you want a drone circling your trailer?"

Michael stepped up some. "We'll get you another score, Trevor."

Karen watched as Trevor paced, clearly upset by the fact that it seemed as though he had no choice. He took a few deep breaths before turning to Michael.

"You owe me! Wade, get in that chopper! Listen to whatever this fuckin' moron has to say."

"Okay!" Wade called out as he began jogging to the helicopter.

"Alright," Michael conceded, "and on that note, I'm outta here. You won't be seeing me back here in a long time."

"Hey!" Trevor called after him. "We need a score! Remember!"

Lester waved an arm at the duo, done with the nonsense as he boarded the helicopter.

"Man, I thought I was done not gettin' paid for these licks," Franklin complained as they headed towards Michael's sedan.

"Hello? Me too!" Trevor shouted.

Deciding that she was completely done with this whole situation as well, Karen slid into the passenger seat behind Franklin.

"Well, that was fucking insane," she commented softly as the car slowly started to roll away. As they pulled off, she glanced back to see Trevor slamming his head into some wooden pallets repeatedly.

"Yeah, well, he's fucking insane, K," Michael stated. "You two are with us for the long haul, so you'll see quite a bit of that."

Yes, Karen was quite sure they would.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dressed up as cops?" she asked as opened the passenger side of his Buffalo.

"Yeah, Devin Weston said they was two trust fund kids or something."

"So, you're still boosting cars, is what you're telling me?"

Franklin lowered himself behind the wheel. "Something like that. I was actually telling Michael the same after we had possession of those sports cars."

"Let me, guess," she said as she clicked off the radio. "He gave you some sort of generic, generalized statement in his old, roundabout way?"

"You know how he is, Kar," Franklin said lightly. "Past-time glories still mean something to him."

She leaned her head back into the headrest of the seat. "What are we doing anyway?"

"This Weston dude? He wants us to get yet another car," Franklin informed her. "We heading towards the oil derricks and Trevor's going to meet us in a helicopter."

"A helicopter?" she questioned as they took off for their destination. "If I don't see another one of those for a hundred years, I'll be too fucking happy."

"Yeah, really. But you know these new chips they puttin' in all the licenses now? He's gonna be scanning that for our target."

"And who's the lucky winner this time?"

"Some dude who's going through a divorce," he told her as they drove. "Wants to hide all his valuable assets. Thinks they can't be found."

"Anything valuable can be found one way or another. Just gotta know the fuckers rich enough for the equipment."

The drive to the field of drilling rigs took less time than Karen anticipated, and by the time they reached the entryway of the fence surrounding the land, the helicopter that Trevor was flying in was high above them. As they stepped out of the vehicle, they heard Trevor's voice.

 _"Put up your hands and stand where I can see you."_

"Alright," Franklin said as he turned to look up at the aircraft. "You got me, homie, alright. You know how to work that face recognition shit already?"

 _"I'll figure it out,"_ they heard Trevor say hesitantly.

"You think it works?" Karen asked Franklin as she stood by him, her hand bridged over her eyes to shield from the light of the helicopter. Before Franklin could answer her, Trevor's voice rang out again.

 _"Public exposure? What's the deal, Franklin?"_

"Man, fuck that. I got a high ass, homie. One time will pick a brother up for any old shit."

 _"You want me to take it out on the LSPD representative sitting beside me?"_

"Man, just get to Hawick," Franklin said as he rounded to the driver's side of his Buffalo again. "Dude we lookin' for is down that way. We'll follow in the car."

Karen didn't waste another moment after the helicopter took Trevor flying back over the city. Franklin put heavy foot to the gas pedal to keep up the pace.

"Wanna explain that one to me?" Karen asked as they approached closer to the Hawick area.

"I don't wanna explain nothin' to no one," he said, even more guarded.

She paused for a second, not being able to contain the laughter any longer. "Whatever you said, Frankie boy. I guess it's no crazier than what anyone else does in their free time."

"Man, whatever," Franklin said with a scoff. "You got jokes, don't you?"

She laughed more. "I'm here all night."

 _"Come in, Franklin, Karen,"_ Trevor said as they came up to the area. _"We are in position over Hawick Avenue. What's the name of the suspect?"_

"The dude's name is Chad Mulligan, alright?"

 _"Chad Mulligan. Roger that."_

They waited, parked in an alley, for the proper directions from their eye in the sky.

 _"Two guys on a rooftop going at it. Lady downstairs in a bikini,"_ Trevor said after a few minutes. _"Let's see if we can connect the dots."_

Karen looked around, once again leaning back into the seat comfortably.

 _"Come in, Franklin. Suspect's not in the area,"_ Trevor spoke up. _"I repeat, suspect not found in the area."_

"Alright, alright," Franklin said as he began driving down the street again. "He might be a couple of blocks east of there."

 _"Roger that."_

Karen laughed out again. "I love how he takes things seriously."

"He takes things personal."

"He's a sensitive guy," Karen defended. "I see nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, until one day, we the ones he's taking things personal with," Franklin said, the lowered the hand that held his two-way. "Unless of course you want T that way. Then I don't know what to tell you. That's totally on you."

"I'm half his age," she nearly bit out. "Doesn't he like older women anyway?"

"Ohh," Franklin drawled out. "So you have been noticin' him. I see how it is. You know Lamar's going to throw a fit over this, right?"

"Over what?" Karen scoffed. "And what do you mean, you see how it is? How is it, Frank?"

"Karen, you can try to fool anyone else. But me?" he emphasized with a hand to his chest. "You can literally pull wool over my eyes and I'll still see things for exactly how they are."

"Mhm," she huffed out. "I like to see you think you're so smart. Gives me some bragging room when you're wrong."

"When am I ever wrong? Lamar? Remember?"

"What the fuck ever. He likes every girl. _Every_ girl," she said, cutting her eyes at him. "Besides, you want to talk about being right, Tanisha. Remember?"

 _"Come in, Franklin,"_ Trevor's voice crackled through again. _"We've got a positive ID on the suspect. I repeat, we have visual on Chad Mulligan. No vehicle in sight."_

"Alright, look, cool. We looking for his lockup, dog, alright?" he said as he spun the wheel around on his car. "Stay on him, and look out."

"Why are we taking this guy's car anyway?"

"You don't ask Devin Weston questions," Franklin told her. "Mainly because you ain't gone get a straight answer with the motherfucker."

 _"We have lost sight of the suspect,"_ they heard Trevor say. _"Might have to send pilot boy down to draw him out."_

 _"Hold on! Wait,"_ they heard the distraught voice of the pilot. _"He should come out from behind that building."_

 _"Suspect's on foot,"_ Trevor said just moments later.

"Okay, I see the chopper," Franklin told them. "We ain't far away."

 _"Suspect's stopped walking,"_ Trevor spoke up again. _"Appears to be accessing a small garage."_

"Alright, alright, this is it. I'ma get the car."

Karen watched the guy as Franklin popped out of his vehicle.

"Hey, motherfucker!"

"Oh, shit! Shit!" the guy exclaimed.

"Aw, fuck!"

Before they could react the guy disappeared into the garage.

"Get in!" Karen shouted. "Get in!"

Franklin had shut his door not a second after the car in question came zooming out of the garage.

 _"What happened?"_ Trevor asked them.

"Hey, look, just stay on him, man, and let me know where he is."

Karen tried her best to follow the path in which the guy had taken off in. "Right," she said, leaning forward. "To the right."

 _"Suspect sighted going south on Dutch Drive."_

They followed as fast as they could, narrowly avoiding the traffic around them.

 _"Suspect going west down alley toward El Rancho."_

Heading towards the alley, Franklin swerved at the last moment, taking the street around it. "Hey, where is he, man?"

 _"Car going north on El Rancho."_

Karen then heard the older man imitate the siren of a police unit, laughing as they followed Trevor's direction.

"I'm glad you think this is funny."

 _"All units be advised, we have a possible joy rider heading west on Hawick in a black Z-Type."_

"Hey man, you getting other cops on this shit?"

 _"Nah, homie,"_ Trevor said airily. _"Thought you'd appreciate the authenticity."_

"Oh okay. Well, I fuckin' don't," Franklin snapped.

"Calm down, we'll get him. To the left," Karen then said.

 _"Your boy Chad very nearly totaled the score. Ohh! Chad, that was close."_

"Okay, we see the motherfucker, man," Franklin told Trevor as he leaned close to the steering wheel. "We got this."

Karen saw the Z-Type speed past them and down the highway parallel to them.

"Fuck this shit, man," Franklin hissed out. "Where is he?"

 _"Suspect back on Del Perro heading west. Frank, you gotta speed this up! He's getting away."_

"Hold onto your panties, Karen, we hittin' this shit."

Weaving in and out of traffic seemed effortless to Franklin sometimes. Almost as if he had an ability. But she cringed as she watched the expensive car just barely missing traffic itself, the cars almost-accident swerving out of the way just in time.

 _"Suspect sighted near the Lifeinvader offices."_

When they caught up with the vehicle at the building, it sped off again, cutting across the road into an alleyway.

 _"He's turned into an alley off Del Perro."_

"You my eyes, right?" Franklin asked him.

 _"Lost sight of suspect near a parking garage. Request ground units to investigate."_

They swerved, smoothly entering the parking garage. Carefully listening to Trevor and the pilot.

 _"All garage exits clear. Suspect is in the building."_

Franklin drove up another level by the time Trevor could help them a little more.

 _"Okay, I'm seeing things a little more clearly."_

"Hey, you can still see us, right?" Franklin asked as he stood from his car. "We in the middle of the garage."

 _"Roger. We have visual."_

"You reading other heat signatures on this level?"

It was a few minutes before they heard from Trevor again, Franklin giving directions to Karen of how they would pick up the vehicle. Sliding over the console, she sat in the driver's seat to his Buffalo, agreeing with his plan.

 _"Near side of the garage. On my left. There's a man in a car."_

"This better be him," Franklin said as he quickly took off on foot. Karen hung back as Franklin took out his pistol. The guy stepped out of the car, holding his hands up. Karen slipped her sunglasses over her eyes as she slowly rolled up next to the scene.

"Yeah, that's the motherfucker," Franklin said as he merely turned his head towards Karen. "Thank you, Trevor Philips."

"I know you think this car might be worth something," Karen heard the guy say, but his words quickly turned into pleas as Franklin stepped forward, keeping his aim. A swift pop, and the guy fell to the ground. Franklin jumped into the Z-Type and backed out of the parking spot.

 _"Suspect down! Fine work ground units."_

Karen circled around so she could follow him out. Hearing Franklin's voice on her ear piece as they left the area, she clicked off the radio.

"Hey, I'm delivering the ride to Los Santos International."

 _"Is the lady going to be there? Or just the dick who ain't paying us 'til we get all the cars?"_

"Shit, I think they both gonna be there, dog. Devin and Molly."

 _"Say hello from me... to Molly."_

Karen placed her hand over her mouth to prevent them from hearing her giggle. She straightened up quickly, placing both hands on the steering wheel as she continued following Franklin.

"Man, I ain't hitting on nobody for you, man," Franklin said, annoyed at the request. "Least of all her."

 _"Come on! Why not? It's about time I settled down."_

Another laugh nearly came barreling out of Karen.

"Shit, man, you need like a lion tamer or some shit. This girl, man, she got balls, dog, but... She need some serious stones to handle your ass."

 _"Just say hello."_

"Man," Franklin chuckled out. "I ain't gonna be a part of that."

 _"After everything I've done for you... ahh, you are just like Michael."_

Karen wondered if she should say anything. After all, she was heading towards the airport right behind Franklin. She would say something to the lady if Franklin wasn't going to. But Trevor's voice stopped her just as she parted her mouth.

 _"Besides, that Karen girl you bring along isn't going to say hello to me,"_ he said. _"Don't tell me that you haven't claimed stakes on that."_

"Man, I haven't. Me and Karen are just friends. Have been for years."

 _"How can you ignore something like her though? She's almost perfect."_

"Almost?" Franklin asked before she could comment. Wisely, she kept quiet to hear Trevor's response.

 _"Yes, almost,"_ Trevor repeated himself. _"The only thing that hasn't made her perfect yet is the fact that I'm not with her. Once she realizes her never-ending, ever-growing love for me, she will be the very definition of perfect."_

"Yeah, whatever, dog," Franklin laughed out.

Karen had to bite her lips shut in order to keep quiet on Trevor's comments. It didn't surprise her in even the smallest amount that he had looked her way. Much like Lamar, he looked in anyone's direction. She had even heard him hit on other guys before. Still, the charm was strong enough that she couldn't help herself as she yanked out her piece from her ear and laughed.

The calm drive on the highway ended in them rolling up to the airport's entrance for the private hangars. She watched as Franklin's arm hung out of the window to talk to the security guard. The burly guard said something, glancing back at her, and then motioned for them to be let through. She followed Franklin as he headed off to a hangar to their left. Just as she came to a stop, she heard the voice of the billionaire.

". . . beauty was a woman, I'd have to break my twenty and under rule.

"Man, I'll just stick to driving, alright?" Franklin said.

"Hey, tell me something," Weston said as Franklin stepped out of the requested vehicle. Karen was tempted to close the window so she wouldn't have to hear him go on. "You know how many of these things they made?"

"Uhh, shit, like ten?" Franklin put in.

"No, not _like ten_ , man," Weston mocked. "Exactly ten!"

"Oh wow, man. You one of them type of dudes, huh?" Franklin said as he walked around the front of the Z-Type.

"Tell you something," Weston began. "How'd you like to drive a car like this one day, man? For real!"

Franklin's fell into sarcasm. "Like this? Or this?"

"Oh man, right back at me, homie. Really nice. Hey, y'know something? You're not like those, uhh, snowbird retiree pals of yours. You are sharp, man."

"Man, I'm just lookin' for a paycheck for my services."

"No, no, no," Karen heard the man say. "Don't worry. It'll come, that'll come. But right now, it is life lesson time, pal. You have got to wake up to what's real in this situation, bro. Take me, right? I am opportunity. I'm security. I'm fast cars, blowjobs."

Karen rolled her eyes.

"I got the world on a plate. Those two clowns... oh, man, they are the worst kind of disaster that can ever come down. They are a full core meltdown, and you're just standing there soaking up major radiation. You have got to take stock, man. Make that call, before it's too late."

"Yeah, alright man, I will."

Franklin walked away from the billionaire, waving his hand. She was relieved when he sank down into the passenger seat next to her.

"Before it's too late, man," Weston emphasized.

Karen didn't bother waiting for the man to board his fancy jet as she shifted the gear into drive and swiftly took off. "What's he talking about?"

"Man, I don't know," Franklin replied, glancing in the side view mirror. "I think he has something against Michael and Trevor, but I don't know. I don't really care."

"He wants you to be his little errand boy?"

"I ain't being an errand nothin' for him. This fool wants something done, then he can throw around his weight somewhere else. We ain't even being paid yet for these stupid fucking cars."

"Just as long as you stick to your guns, Frankie," she said as she waited for the security gate to open. "I'd hate to see you lose who you are for anyone." She paused as she looked for any oncoming traffic. "Including – "

"Don't say it, Kar," he warned. "I know you don't particularly like her, but damn, home girl, I can't change how I feel overnight."

"It's been several nights, Frankie," Karen said, but not really wanting to push. "Many, many nights. And she isn't any closer to accepting you for who you are. Don't think you deserve someone better?"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel differently for Tanisha since we did grow up together."

She shook her head. "I grew up with a lot of folks. I wouldn't necessarily say they've accepted life as it truly is." Wanting to drop the subject, clearly seeing the sorrowful, pitiful look on her friend's face, she looked back at the airport disappearing behind them. "Was that the Molly lady that Trevor wanted you to say hi to?"

Franklin put his fist in front of his mouth. "Yo, you heard that? Trevor's gonna blow a gasket if he ever thought you'd hear him say that."

"About me or about her? Because both had me laughing on the way to the airport. Tell me that you don't find that shit hilarious."

"Man, okay, it's entertaining," Franklin admitted. "But it's still a little creepy coming from old, homicidal dude. But, that's all you, Kar. You the one not afraid of him, remember?"

"Because there's nothing to be scared of. You just have to know how to handle Trevor. That's all."

"Well, you can do all the handling of him from now on. I got a feeling Michael would be glad of that, too."

A cell phone went off somewhere in the car, and Franklin shifted so he could pull out his phone.

"Speaking of Michael," he said, reading the text message. "Apparently, he's got a job for me."

"Just you? Because I'll take a taxi home."

"I don't want to just leave you somewhere," Franklin told her. "Let me see if I can't – "

"No, really, Frankie, it's okay. I really don't mind taking a ride home. I have enough money on me."

"You sure?"

"Yes, positive," she said as she pulled her bag onto her lap. "I really can do without being dragged into another race-run-and-gun mission with any of you."

"Girl, that's supposed to be your profession."

"My _profession,_ Franklin," she said as she turned off into a parking lot, "is cleaning up what others don't see and what those people don't want others to see." She let the car idle as she opened the door. " _That_ is my profession, dude."

"Alright, sure, whatever you say, Kar," he said as he slid over the center console. "Hey, be safe, and text me or something when you get home. I gotta go see what these two crazy dudes have going on now."

"Sure thing," she said, placing her cell phone to her ear to call a cab. "Be safe yourself."

She watched the white Buffalo pull off into traffic, leaving her to wait on her cab. She had a lot of thinking to do. If she wanted to continue taking scores, payment or not, with these guys. She wasn't going to imagine that things weren't the way they were. This wasn't her first rodeo. She wasn't an idiot. She knew there was no way out. Because she knew of the things they did, even if she wasn't always involved. And the things she happened to be involved in were always no-tell anyway. Someone gets caught, picked off, no one knew each other. That's how it had to be in order to survive.

But she was the last person anyone should go to for survival advice. She had trusted someone who turned on her faster than she could blink. Those events replayed in her mind again as the taxi came to a stop in front of her. She wouldn't go that far again with anyone. She wouldn't allow herself to be so worthless, so dispensable, that she could be tossed away again. It may have been a unique case with Luis, but he still rang her through a loop, and then dismissed her when her name could no longer help him.

Karen _had_ felt insignificant for a long time after. She didn't want to ever feel like that again. So maybe a trio of guys, two of them past their criminal prime, and one trying to get past being a two-bit gangster, was the best group she could be with right now. She could definitely learn from Trevor and Michael, even if it was things _not_ to do in a criminal career. Turn or get caught, or worse yet, flip for the FIB. That still made her blood boil. But she realized how meaningless it was to her, and it wasn't worth having the wrong eyes look at her in the right way.

The city scene had faded with the daylight, and by the time the taxi had stopped in front of her Sandy Shores home, she knew what she had to do. She felt a sense of community within the group she was placed upon. _Stick with it, Karen,_ she told herself as she opened her front door. _Stick with it._


	6. Chapter 6

She managed to grab all of her grocery bags as she tried to flip through her key chain. The rumble of a vehicle steadily approached and cut out close in her proximity.

"Karen!" Franklin's voice rang out in the cool night's air.

Her head snapped in his direction, seeing her friend jog across the street towards her.

"Now why can't you take multiple trips like a normal person?" he asked as he took the bags from her aching fingertips.

"Because I'm from the north," she simply said as she swiftly opened the door. "And we'd rather grab every bag possible to reduce the trips taken."

"Hey Karen," Michael's voice came as he leaned into the doorway.

"Well, come in," she said. "No sense in you hanging out of the house like that."

Michael stepped in, adjust his suit jacket. "I thought you hated me," he told her as he stood near the end of the kitchen counter."

"I don't." Her voice was sharp. "I'm not fond of the shit you do, who you bring into your bullshit," she said, glancing at Franklin, "but I don't hate you."

Franklin went back outside to her car to check for more bags.

"Hey," Michael said as he watched her put away her groceries. "I understand how you and Frankie might feel. Believe me, I didn't want to bring either of you guys into this."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you?"

She didn't even bother looking at him as she remained concentrated in the task at hand.

"Who else do I have?" Michael asked, but she knew it was rhetorical. "Young, willing, and dependable. That's what I see in both of you. It's a lot better than having to see a face that I never planned on looking at ever again."

"You mean," a deep voice said from the doorway, following Franklin. "My face? You know, I don't get you, Mikey."

"Yeah? What's not to get?"

Karen studied Trevor, surprised to see him standing by her kitchen table. The man looked as though his bomb would tick at any moment.

"You bring two young crew members aboard to, what, drive your ego? So you can know that your ideas are better?"

"Hey, did we not just do whatever your little thing was?"

"Little?" Trevor grated out. "The O'Neil brothers took what was rightfully mine!"

"Frank," Karen's voice spoke out amidst their arguing. "Why is Chop here?"

The three men standing in her home turned their attention to the large Rottweiler comfortably laying on the square space of linoleum flooring by the front door.

"Man, we just came back from a thing," Franklin told her.

"So you all decided to drop by my place?"

"Nah, Trev saw me when I went back outside. I was just dropping Michael off at his house."

"You have a house out here?" Karen asked, turning her attention towards Michael.

"No, to _his_ house," Michael spat out.

She then turned to look at Trevor. "That's your trailer?"

"This is your house?" he returned. "I didn't even know anyone was living in it."

"Well maybe it's because she doesn't have dead bodies laying everywhere around it," Michael quipped. "You know, like how you prefer a home to look."

"Fuck off, Mikey," Trevor shot back, his stare leaving Karen for a split second before his intense eyes landed right back on her. He could have swore that her own eyes trailed down his body before turning back to neatly putting away the food items.

"You guys want some dinner?" she asked as she gathered the last of the plastic bags. "I was planning to make some spaghetti with meat sauce." After placing the plastic bags into the trash can, she moved over to the stove, where a large, tall stainless steel pot was sitting on a back burner. As she went to pull it off the stove so she could fill it up at the sink, she felt someone stand next to her.

"Let me do that," Trevor said to her, taking the hefty pot from her hands. "A lady should never have to do heavy lifting."

"Oh please," Michael said, and Karen could nearly hear the sound of his eyes rolling.

Allowing Trevor to fill up the pot with water, she moved into the living room.

"Make yourselves at home, guys," she said, tossing the remote control onto the couch. "There should be something to watch while dinner is cooking."

Going back to the stove, she placed a large, deep skillet onto the biggest coil in order to start browning the meat for the sauce.

Trevor stood close to her as she worked, walking the pot around her as she told him which burner to place it on. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her. And she smelled so good. Like cupcakes. Surely Michael and Franklin would see fit to tease him if he developed a crush on Karen. But he didn't want to deny his attractions to any beautiful woman he saw.

He took a spot on the loveseat sofa that faced the kitchen, and he continued to glance her way every so often. His mind filtered through everyone he'd ever felt attracted to, and Karen topped every last one of them. But this young woman wouldn't bother with an old creep like him. She had too much to offer a man – a man younger and better looking and better off than he was. A young man like Franklin.

That pained him to realize that Franklin was probably much better off dating Karen. It almost made him grind his teeth. Appreciating older women was something he did often, so why _couldn't_ she appreciate an older man?

And it didn't help any that when dinner was ready, she handed them plates and then sat right next to him. Her scent was almost too distracting to eat, and he felt like he could just drag her to the floor and rut with her like a wild animal. He put his full attention into his food, otherwise, Franklin and Michael might see the start of a show they could never imagine.

"""""

"What are we doing back here?" Karen asked as she slowly opened the door to Franklin's Buffalo.

"I don't know," he replied to her. "Trev asked us to come out for something."

"Well, did he say what? How did he know I was with you anyway?"

"Man, he thinks we're together," Franklin said with a shake of his head. He, too, exited his vehicle.

"Together?" she questioned. "Like together-together?"

"As in boyfriend-girlfriend," he said as she walked around his car to stand near the bottom steps of the staircase that lead up to the apartment doors. "Lovers. More than friends."

Karen burst out in a laughter that she didn't care to contain. "Yeah, okay, I get it. All that touchy-feely stuff is not my forte though."

She adjusted her jacket as they both watched the rusted red pickup truck pull up next to the Buffalo. Trevor stepped out, looking expectantly at the duo.

"Thanks for coming out, guys."

Franklin held out his arms. "Man, what are we here for?"

Trevor ignored his question and bound up the staircase to the apartment door.

 _"I miss ya already,"_ they heard a voice say. Karen looked around the place where Trevor had thrown together a poorly planned heist. Hell, he hadn't even known what it was they were taking. But Karen saw the endearing side to him. He meant well, even if things didn't turn out well.

A man, Floyd Karen believed his name was, came out out of the apartment, closing the front door behind him.

"What the f word are you doing here?" he asked Trevor as they approached closer.

"That's a funny way to greet your cousin," Trevor miffed.

"You ain't my G-damn cousin, Trevor," Floyd said nervously.

Trevor feigned being shocked. "I thought we was family."

"P-please just go and ruin somebody else's home furnishings."

Then Karen heard a not-so-pleasant female voice from inside the unit.

 _"Who the F is that, Floyd?"_

Floyd looked back towards the front door. "N-no one, my sweet!"

"Hey, by any chance did you catch crabs at that conference?" Trevor called out as he pushed Floyd aside. Franklin and Karen both stepped back some as Trevor kicked the door in, making the woman inside scream.

"Ah! Floyd!"

"I heard that those conferences are regular little fuck fests! Huh? Can I come in?"

Karen placed a hand on Franklin's shoulder as they followed Floyd and Trevor into the apartment.

"I'd like you to leave right now!" the woman shouted. "You and your _friends_!"

"Oh yeah," Trevor continued as if she had never said anything. "Some serious corporate gangbanging going on, right?" Picking up a glass, he headed to the kitchen sink, filling the cup half way. "Yeah with every executive and director of communications from here to Bangalore, taking it left, right and center in the name of team training, right?"

The woman stayed on Trevor as he sat down on the couch. Karen looked around, noticing that the placed had been cleaned up, seemingly erasing most traces that Trevor had even trashed it at all. But when the woman started screaming again, her eyes snapped back to the brunette.

"I want you to leave!" she said again. "Now!"

"Look, this is all I got, alright? I had a tough upbringing," Trevor said as he turned to face her. "My daddy was not nice to me! Okay?"

Floyd was trying to hold back his lady as Trevor continued on with his rant. Karen would have seen the humor in it had she not be concentrating on the short-haired brunette that looked like she was about to have a stroke over Trevor's words.

"Get out of my condo!" she screamed, her arms wailing about. "And you go too, Floyd! I told you. I've got a career. I don't need this... this... this... crap!"

"Yes!" Trevor shouted.

"There," she said, pointing to Floyd. "You made me swear."

Karen zeroed in on Trevor's face, his expression holding nothing but disbelief over what she considered swearing.

"You're crap, Floyd! Crap! You're not a man at all. Bob's right about you."

"Whoa," Trevor said as he stood up. "Who's Bob?"

The lady, Debra, began walking towards the front door. "I want all of you to go now. Especially your weird friend," she said pointing at Trevor.

"Whoa, hey!" he called out. "My name is Trevor, sweetheart."

Debra charged back towards where Trevor stood. "I could give a _fuck_ what your fucking name is!"

"Hey, what the fuck is your problem?" Karen said from where she stood in the kitchen. "Don't talk to him like that."

Debra laughed out as she looked Karen up and down. "Let me guess... You're the bitch they've been fucking while I was – "

Karen didn't bother letting the woman finish. Grabbing two handfuls of Debra's hair, she simultaneously dragged the woman down to the carpeted flooring of the living room and jumped on top of her. Barely registering Franklin's shouting, or the fact that his arms were trying to pull her off this Debra lady, she landed a few good punches, satisfied when she heard the slight crunch of what would probably be a broken nose.

"My nose!" Debra screamed, her voice shrill. Her hands were guarding her face by the bridge of her nose. "My fucking nose! You bitch!"

After landing a solid, clenched fist to the woman's throat, only then did Karen allow Franklin to pull her off. Franklin kept his arms circled around her waist even after he had pulled her up and pushed her to the far end of the kitchen to the sink.

"Chill, Karen, chill," Franklin repeated.

"I'll show you your bitch!" Karen shouted, nearly escaping around Franklin to get at Debra again. Sniffling, Karen pressed a hand against her own nose, checking to see if there was actually blood trickling down her face. "Don't you ever disrespect us like that again, you prudish little cunt!"

"Hey dude," Franklin said to Floyd. "You better take your woman into the other room before Karen sees fit to rip her fucking face off."

Floyd pulled Debra to her feet, helping her into the bedroom. When the door shut, Franklin lowered his arms.

"You good, Kar?"

"I'd be good if I could break that little snatch's face in half. Goody-two-shoes little twat. I hope her pussy wasn't as big as her fucking mouth was," Karen rambled as she found her way to the front door.

Karen could feel Trevor's heated stare on her as he followed behind Franklin from the apartment.

"Man, what did you need us out here for?" Franklin said as they walked to stand next to their vehicles. "Did you _want_ to see that side of Karen? Because I don't even think you ready for that, dog."

"I wanted you to come with me to the club," Trevor told him. "Gonna have a chit-chat with the manager about a thing or two."

"Alright, dog, for sure." Franklin popped opened the driver's door to his Buffalo. "I'll follow you there."

"Karen," Trevor said in a low tone. "If you'd like to come with us as well, I'll treat you to a drink. I've never seen a woman hold her own like that."

She didn't know what to say to Trevor. But looking into his hazel eyes had melted the anger she had felt for Wade's cousin's fiance.

"Sure," she said. "A drink sounds good right about now."

"You gettin' in, Kar?" Franklin asked, his body half way into the driver seat.

Keeping her eyes locked on Trevor for just a moment longer, she finally tore herself away from the vision of him, curious as to why he enticed her so. She shook it off long enough to walk herself over to the passenger side of Franklin's car.

"Lead the way, boys," she said before lowering herself into the seat and shutting the door.


	7. Chapter 7

He watched as she crossed the room. Being a few inches shorter than he was and having a buxom body, she had curves in every place he imagined his hands squeezing. It had been just a few weeks since they were first introduced, but he could tell there was something special about her. The situations that she involved herself with, she definitely proved to him that she could pull her weight in gold. Plus, after having Lester pull up more of her history, Trevor knew she was a gem.

Daughter of the legendary Harwood Butcher and a former prominent drug lord of Vice City a couple of decades ago, her background had more than proven itself. He remembered hearing of the things that Tommy Vercetti had done in the news. The massive arms and drug bust in the early nineties had been plastered all over the media. It had been, and quite frankly still was, the biggest bust in the history of criminals anywhere. Trevor could only imagine what kind of life Karen had lived after her father had been indicted, convicted, and subsequently incarcerated when she was just a child.

Of course, that had been well over twenty years ago, and thanks to Lester, he knew that although Karen had been born in Vice City, she was raised by her mother near Liberty City. As far as Lester could tell him, it had been just Karen and her mother for years until her mother finally remarried. Trevor knew of Karen's life in more depth than she had personally revealed, but there were some things, such as the teenage brother still living in Liberty City, that he didn't know much about.

What he did know was that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and much like Lester, she was more of the clean-up crew. She could single-handedly be the getaway driver and the cover-up artist that any situation they dove into required. The smoothness and fluidity in her operations wasn't something that was easily taught. She certainly had the Vercetti blood running through her veins. And because of that and all her accolades, his blood ran hot in his body for her.

Yet, he felt like a fool for sitting back, secretly watching her as though she were in a glass container. The slight jingle of her bracelets and the clicking of her heels made his ears perk up. Even her fragrance had wafted towards him, breaking all of his senses. It didn't help that she was extraordinarily nice to him. More nice than anyone had ever been to him. He wasn't quite used to a female regarding him in such a pleasant way. It just wasn't natural. Most were downright disgusted by him, and after living with such expected behavior, it was... well, it was weird that she randomly smiled at him. Or didn't mind their hands touching. Or their shoulders bumping into one another. She showed not one ounce of disdain for him.

"Franklin," her gentle voice sang out.

Trevor watched as Franklin came up beside her as they looked over some papers. It wasn't lost to him that she and Franklin were close to each other. Too close. Trevor sighed and sat back in the chair he was perched upon. Franklin had more of a chance than he ever did with Karen. There was no way the twenty-eight year old would ever look his way. A younger, more capable man was better suited to handle all that Karen was.

But for right now, as he sat at a desk pretending to fiddle around on the internet, he could dream. He could fantasize that it was her that he would take back to his place, and that it was her that he would make love to for hours before falling asleep for the night. That it was her he woke up to everyday. If it were Karen, he might even start waking up in the morning like a normal person.

He straightened his chair to look at the computer screen before him, breaking his stare on Karen. He stopped himself from grunting out loud at the thought. Him normal? It would never be. He was just not a normal guy. Who was he kidding... It would take something short of a miracle to get him into any ounce of normalcy. As much as Lester had been able to find, Karen wasn't a magician. She wasn't able to just wave a wand and fix all of his issues. Hell, even the concept of being with the same girl every couple of days was foreign to him. How he could ever think that Karen would look his way...

"Trev?" Karen's voice said behind him as he heard the heels of her boots approach him. "You want to go over to the club after this? Maybe we can get some inventory done, as well as some payroll managing."

He looked up at her with a blank expression on his face. Of course he wanted to go somewhere with her! But he had to beat the excitement down with a stick, lest she become utterly frightened at the fact that he had been solidly obsessing over her for weeks now.

"Uh, sure," he said in such an uncertain tone, he wanted to punch himself in the eyeball when her eyebrow twerked up and her head tilted slightly to the side. "Sounds good. I'll meet you there?"

"Actually," she started saying as she made her way back over to the filing cabinet. "I'm leaving my car with Franklin's garage. It's been acting up lately. Do you think we could take your truck?"

Trevor watched as she shut the filing cabinet with a bump of her hip.

"Uhh, yeah, no. We can take the truck. That's fine with me."

"Kar, leave me the keys before you go," Franklin then called out from the desk he sat at. "I'm going to have someone follow me to the garage near your spot so it's easier for you to pick it up."

"Yeah, sure, Frankie."

 _Frankie._ Trevor let the nickname float around in his mind. It seemed as though no one else ever called him the name that she did, although he knew they did. _Frankie._ It bothered him that Karen was cozy with Franklin. Not that Franklin was a bad guy – he was a decent guy with a good head on his shoulders. But, damn it, Trevor wanted the cute nicknames from her. But could he really see himself being alright with being called _Trevie_?

"Alright, I'm all set to go," Karen said as she grabbed up her leather bag, slinging the strap over her shoulder.

Yes. Yes he could.

"""""

Karen's popularity didn't stop with the guys. Most, if not all, of the girls at Trevor's strip club loved her, including the bartender, which happened to be Karen's first stop. Trevor waited patiently behind her, turning down a drink offer made by the bartender, Triniti.

"I want a count," Karen said as she rattled off a list of alcohols. "A proper count. If there's a case that's not full up, tell everyone they can take some home with them. But not before things are done correctly. Understood?"

Triniti nodded her head, taking the list and carefully placed it onto a clipboard that sat behind the bar. "Sure thing, boss. Would you like drinks sent back?"

Karen turned her head to look at Trevor. His expressionless face didn't give her much to work with, but she smiled, then looked back to Triniti. "Send back a few beers. It's just me and Trev tonight." Her hand tapped the bar countertop before she thanked Triniti and took Trevor's hand into hers.

They passed a few of the dancers on their way back, being greeted cheerfully as they made their way into the office. Once inside the messy room, Karen sighed, and dropped her bag onto the couch. Trevor studied her before nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Something wrong?" he asked, not completely sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Blowing out a deep breath, she looked around the grimy office space. "It's so dark and dingy." She brushed her fingers over some randomly strewn papers over the desktop. "What would you say to a remodel? I mean, the rest of the club looks fine, but then you get back here, and it's just... dull."

If it were anyone else telling him these things, Trevor may have very well tossed them out, headfirst, into the cold of the night. But the person standing in front of him now, showing such a concern for his business... It touched his heart.

"I guess we could do something," he said, looking around himself. The walls were an off-white sort of color. And the carpeting could do with a little vacuuming. "Clean up a bit."

"A bit," Karen repeated with a laugh. With another sigh, she sat down on the couch. Her eyes fell onto Trevor, and she noticed he watched her closely. She relaxed some, resting her elbow on the back of the couch with her head in her palm. She reached over her lap and patted the couch cushion next to her. "Sit."

His eyes stayed fixed on her, his body still for a few long moments before his feet finally shuffled over to the couch. He had been so careful never to give away any clue that he was smitten with her. It was questionable to him that she was being extraordinarily soft with him right now. But, with a nervous, shallow breath, he sat down next to her.

"So," he said slowly. "What did you have in mind?" He tapped his fingers quickly on his jean-clad knees. "For the office?"

Thankfully, she had looked away from him to examine the room. He took the opportunity to take in more of her features. Her nose was on the shorter side, and a little round. Just the kind of cute, little noses that their children would have. And her eyes were almond-shaped, the makeup she wore accentuated how the outer corners drew up. Her lips, although in a pout now, were full and plump, and sometimes when she bit on them, Trevor imagined her before him on her knees.

"Well," she began thoughtfully. "This is your club. I'd like to make it more presentable, but I wouldn't want to step on your toes to do so."

He felt his face flush as she looked back to him. "Oh, no. No, you wouldn't be. Please. Do whatever you want." _Do whatever you want to my body, too._ "You obviously know what you're doing. The guys trust you with anything."

"Eh," she said with a scrunch of her nose. "They don't have a choice sometimes."

A knock at the door made them both look at the waitress who was coming through with a tray of drinks. There were two beers with the tops already popped off, and a glass of something that looked like a fancy chocolate milkshake.

"Trin said you guys only wanted beers," the waitress, Shannon, gently said, "but when she told me you were in, Kar, I just had to make you a Mudslide." Lowering the tray in front of them, she handed off one beer to Trevor and the glass to Karen. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, Shan," Karen said as she took a sip of the Mudslide. She watched as Shannon sat the remaining beer onto the desk and made her way out of the room. Sitting back into the couch, she groaned. "Getting rid of this ridiculous couch for one. We should move the cabinets, get better desks, and get rid of that awful wallpaper on this wall." She looked across where they sat. "Clean up the bookshelf, too. Get rid of all this clutter."

Trevor took a generous swig of his beer. He knew his cleaning skill was more than lacking, and he was grateful for Karen's ability to come through and sweep up messes. She had already done so with several of the stores he ran, and he couldn't wait until she cleaned up the club.

Her drink was halfway gone by the time she stood from the couch, sitting the glass next to the untouched beer.

"Let's go out to eat," she suddenly said.

He looked up from his beer and nodded his head. "Sure."

Waiting for him to stand, she took the bottle from his hand, placing it down next to the other drinks, then slipped her hand into his pocket. His will was being put to the test right now, Karen so close to him, her hands touching him, one in his jean pocket and the other practically rubbing the side of his stomach. He found himself wishing he had put on a nicer shirt. Maybe she would actually find him attractive. He resisted pulling her into his arms as Karen found what she was looking for.

Holding up the keys to his truck, she smiled. "I'm driving."

"""""

For the second time this night, Karen found her hand stuck in Trevor's pocket. They had just arrived at his trailer after a couple of hours of food and laughs at a comedy club in the city. Trevor offered to take her home, which wasn't far from his trailer, but she insisted she would stay at his house for the night. When she pulled his set of keys out of his pocket, she quickly found the one for the front door, and let them inside.

"Oh, Trev," she said with as gasp. She had never been inside of his home before. It was small, not a whole lot of space, and she could see that he clearly didn't care what it looked like. But for what it was worth, it could be a cozy little place.

"Yeah," he huffed out, rubbing the back of his head. "It's quite messy."

"Sweetheart, this is ridiculous. It's easy to keep something clean."

He looked around at the empty pizza boxes and drained beer bottles. "I never really thought about it. I'm never really home."

"Well, we're going to clean this mess up right now. I'm not going to bed with all of this laying around," she said as she began stacking numerous pizza boxes together. "You have any trash bags?"

Karen's question was heard loud and clear, but Trevor's eyes zoomed in her chest and the movement was hypnotizing. He zoned out, leaning on the counter for support, everything she was saying slipping right past his attention.

"Trev," she said again, looking at him with a firm expression. "Trevor!"

"Yeah? What?"

"What, he asks," she scoffed out. "Get some trash bags. I'm going to sweep all this junk right into the bags, and you're going to take them out. You're lucky that trash pick up is tomorrow." She stood up straight from gathering debris, hand on her hip, head tilted with attitude. "Well, come on. If you planned to go to bed at a decent hour, this has to be started pronto. So get to it, mister."

Trevor didn't argue. He didn't complain. Just followed her lead. Within an hour, the difference was already a drastic image. And just after two hours, the table and countertops had been wiped completely clean, the floors had been swept, and Karen was finishing up the quickest mop job he had ever seen. What was even more amazing was that it actually looked like a decent place now.

"We can wipe down the cabinets tomorrow," she told him as she took the grimy bucket full of lukewarm, mucky mop water to the bathroom. "And definitely going to scrub down this bathroom."

He heard the water being poured, and the toilet was flushed a moment later. She came back out to place the bucket underneath the kitchen sink.

"You have enough money to take care of your home, Trevor," she chided him. She shot him a look of gumption, her eyebrows raised as though she expected an answer from him. "Do it, huh?"

"What if I just get a whole new house?" he asked her as she continued straightening up the area.

She let out a small laugh. "That doesn't mean that you'll take care of it like you should. Keep something clean from the start, and it will stay clean."

He stood there, scratching the top of his head. "That's why I need someone to take care of things. Someone to keep things organized and neat."

"Oh," she said as she stood against the kitchen counter. "So you want someone to be your secretary and your maid?" She shook her head as she neatly arranged some items. "I'll never understand why some people want multiple hands in their pot."

He couldn't take it anymore. She was casually cleaning up his kitchen as if she lived there. As if they lived there together. As if she were his woman, his wife. If she didn't feel like she belonged in his home, she sure as hell looked it. Like she had lived with him for years. And he couldn't stand it anymore.

Grabbing her arm to still her from the task at hand, he pulled her back, pressing her against the refrigerator – the very one she'd no doubt have a field day with later on. Before she could protest, his mouth was on hers, Trevor just barely holding back the instinct to force his tongue onto hers. She resisted for just a second, likely out of shock, but he soon felt her body melt against him. He wanted to soak in every bit of her. Drinking her very essence was extremely appealing to him, but he'd wait to be able to do that. For now, he'd settle on stealing a kiss from her.

When he pulled away from her, his hands immediately going up to brush over the sides of her face, he noticed the hazy expression on her face. Had she enjoyed that as much as he had? She wasn't screaming at him or fighting him. Trevor had hope.

"Let's go to bed," she simply said, her voice achingly low. She moved herself from the heat of his body and disappeared into the small, now much cleaner, bedroom on the other side of the trailer to undress for bed.

Trevor was at a loss for words, his lips still tingling. His eyes followed her and watched as he saw glimpses of her in that tiny bedroom. First her shirt went, over her head. Then his eyes saw the black slacks she wore slip off each leg, one at a time. He knew merely seeing her in just a bra and panties would set him off. Not being able to control himself around her was exactly what he was worried about.

Instead, when he walked into the bedroom, his eyes fell on the cream colored camisole covering her chest. She turned her back to him, her hand snaking up her back to snap loose the bra she wore underneath the garment.

"Get ready for bed."

He watched her pull the straps to the bra away from her shoulders, and in a quick moment, she had pulled the entire piece out from underneath the camisole. His glaze then fell to her perfect, roundly-shaped bottom. He couldn't even count how many times in the past few weeks he had stared at it, marveling over the exquisite form.

"Yeah," he breathed out, almost in a robotic mode as he kicked off his boots, and started taking off his clothes. He could have fainted as Karen climbed over his bed, pulling down the blanket that was in need of a wash. She sat that perfect bottom on the edge of the pillow, swinging her legs under the blanket. His mouth hung open as he continued to look at her. Nearly naked. In his bed.

"Come on," she said, patting the blanket. "Bed time actually means sleeping."

He fell into bed next to her, warmth coming over him as she pulled the covers over him. And when she snuggled in close to him, his breathing halted for a quick second. He didn't say anything, relishing in this moment, as he laid still, arm behind his head as the wonderful woman beside him rested her arm over his stomach and closed her eyes to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

She was awoken by the slightest sound of vibration on the raggedy dresser she saw in front of the bed. For a minute, she was a bit confused, the surroundings not that of her own. But when she looked down and saw the tormented forty-some year old man nestled close to her breast, the memory was coming back. They had spent many hours yesterday going over inventory of all their businesses, then she and Trevor went on a visit to the strip club that Trevor owned, and then, bypassing any work that they initially set out to do, they took off to a comedy club for dinner and a bit of fun.

Now, she had to find a way to get out of bed without waking Trevor up. Lifting the blanket from the side of the bed that was against the wall, she managed to bring her legs up enough so that she could crawl to the bottom edge of the bed. Just when she thought it was good for her to place her feet on the ground, pick her stuff up and hurry on home, a hand grabbed around her ankle.

"Where are you going?" Trevor's sleepy voice asked. He then pulled on her leg so that he could proceed to rub his hand up her calve.

"It's almost five in the morning, Trev," she said in a low voice. "I have to go home now."

"No," he said, then tugged on her leg some more. "You come back up here and lay with me. You barely got a few hours of sleep."

She turned around, sitting on her heels to the side of him. "We have to clean."

"Cleaning can wait," he said, waving her idea away. "We can always clean. We can't always enjoy some much needed rest."

"Trevor, you sleep until noon most days."

Without thinking, Trevor skimmed over her smooth stomach, his hand reaching under the camisole she had slept in. When his fingertips grazed the round bottom of her breast, he looked up at her, meeting her brown gaze with intensity.

"Stay with me," he said, feeling his throat immediately go dry, waiting for her response. He was surprised she hadn't slapped him yet.

"You want me to stay with you?" she questioned, leaning in closer to him. "While you're fondling my titty?"

"I would squeeze them if I thought you wouldn't run out of here with hatred and disgust for me," he told her, not missing a beat on that witty, sarcastic attitude of his.

Karen suddenly sat upright, lifting away the shiny garment with both hands, tossing it to the side as she examined him taking in her body. She wasn't the skinniest girl around, and could definitely fill out any pair of jeans she stepped into. But he didn't seem to shy away from the fact she was more curvy than many of the other females in San Andreas, especially the ones at Trevor's strip club. After seeing and being around those lovely women, Karen wouldn't blame Trevor if he didn't find her appealing.

Contrary to how she felt, he seemed to be burning the image of her in his mind. He took in the light-bronze skin, the swell of her breasts, and the way her hips flared out, down to the thick thighs that were so close to him. He just wanted to grab a hold of her and refuse to let her go until she submitted to him. Until she surrendered to him.

He hadn't even noticed the thin scrap of underwear she wore until she lowered it around her bottom and sat back on the bed to rid the cloth from around her legs. Then his eyes centered to the apex of those luscious thighs. He saw not a single hair, which wouldn't bother him either way, not with her. And she looked so soft and supple that his hand automatically found its way into the giving flesh, a finger immediately finding that bud that was a bundle of nerves for him to please.

The sharp intake of breath as she closed her eyes told Trevor that she wasn't used to a man's touch, and hadn't been for quite some time. This delighted him immensely. Thinking of her with another man would drive him to a brink of insanity that even he hadn't crossed in his lifetime. It just wasn't possible for her to be with anyone else, not when she could be his. He scooted his body more towards the center of the bed, urging her to straddle over him. When she did, he could feel the heat permeating from her core.

"Look at me," he told her, taking in her gorgeous face before her eyes fluttered open. What a beautiful sight she was. But as much as he was loving what was going on between the two of them, he had to be certain she did as well. For once in his life, he actually wanted something to last with a woman. He wanted to care for her and love on her as much as he could. "Are you sure you want this?"

Leaning down to him, she covered his lips with hers, rotating her hips several times over the cloth of his underwear.

"I'm a big girl, Trevor. I know what I want."

Before he could remove them himself, he felt her fingers hook into the waistband of his underwear and shove it down, allowing his engorged cock to lay between her moistened lips. She rode him just like that for a few splendid minutes, tossing her head back at the sheer sensation.

He took her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. "Ready?" he asked, waiting to clearly see the nod of her head before he guided himself into her depth. She nearly screamed out at the invasion, and hating to see the discomfort on her face, he took to flattening his tongue against her nipple, then sucking the peak into his mouth. The moan that escaped from her told him that she was more adjusted to him, and he thrust into her, meeting the rolling of her hips.

He never expected to be inside of her. Never thought he would actually have the chance to bed her. The way she moved let him fill her just the way she wanted him to, and the way she tossed her hair over to one side, biting her bottom lip as she continued to ride on him nearly had him on the verge of spilling his seed into her several times. But he did his best to hold out, long enough to feel her clench around him twice before finally allowing her motions to bring him over that edge.

Hands squeezing her voluptuous hips, her walls clutched him one more time as he held her close, he cried out as their chests smashed together, and she milked him until he was dizzy with pleasure.

"Would it be bad of me to say that I want to see you on all fours in front of me while grabbing your hair and slapping your ass?" he asked, his breathing ragged and shallow.

His eyes were closed, yet she didn't need to see them in order to know that he was serious with his question. She tried to lift up, but he held her down close to him. She could still feel the trembles of aftershocks going through his body.

"I'm stunned that you'd even have me again, Mr. Philips."

"Oh, I'd have you," he answered her, laying a kiss to her chest. "I'd have you again and again."

"We'll see," she said tapping gently at his chest. "But right now, I should be going home to get ready for what has to be done."

He shifted his head back to get a good view of her face. "What has to be done today? We should stay in bed today." He squeezed her backside, the simple movement of her on top of him making him semi-hard again. "This is the best thing I could have all day."

"Glad you think my ass is that amazing," she said with a sarcastic laugh. "Don't you want to get cleaned up and eat?"

"We can order out," he replied. "There's a Chinese place right across the street."

She laughed some more, shaking her head. "You are just impossible, Trevor." She slipped the camisole back over her head, and stood from the bed to grab her pants. "Really though, take a ride with me. We can get some food and just drive."

"Where to?" he asked, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"I don't know. Anywhere."

"Well, aren't you looking for a house?"

She paused for a moment, thinking of how much she wanted to purchase a home. "I am," she slowly said.

"We can go look at some," Trevor offered. "I know they're building some right in the city, somewhere close to Franklin's house."

"As pretty as it is up there, I'm not too fond of that area."

Trevor stood, grabbing up the shirt he wore the previous day. Before he could slide the shirt on, Karen had pushed a clean shirt from his closet into his hands.

"Fresh clothes, yeah?" she said as she proceeded to pull her slacks on. "And a nice, hot shower. Trust me, you'll feel better." Taking a plaid button-down shirt from his closet, she slipped it on. "Meet me at the warehouse."

He followed her the short distance to the front door, seeing to that she safely made her into her house in this early hour before he stepped back into his trailer and took a long shower.

"""""

Karen chewed on the pen cap before tapping it on the notebook in front of her.

"Maybe I should get one of those houses near your area, Michael."

Michael shrugged, taking a drink from his water bottle. "I say get whatever makes you happy, darling."

"Say," Franklin began as he looked over at Karen. "Wasn't Trev supposed to go riding with you again today to look at houses?"

"Yeah," she said as she sat back in the plush computer chair and sighed. "We didn't see anything I really liked in our last search, but you know he's always running on Trevor-time."

Before any one of them could respond to her comment, the sound of heavy boots clunking up the stairs caught their attention. The three of them turned their heads to the top of the steps, where it opened up into the room they were currently all sitting in.

"Trevor-time, eh?" Trevor repeated as he trekked his way through the office space. Stopping himself from standing in front of her and placing his hand on her face, he forced himself to walk towards Michael. "We have anything to do today, Mikey?"

"All clear, bro," he replied, closing a folder. "Next week though, we have a few things planned. So if you wanted to help Karen look around for a place, then I suggest you do it by Monday, or else it's going to have to wait."

Trevor didn't look at her, feeling as though doing anything more would tip off the two unknowing people of their relationship... if they could even call it that. It had been several days since she spent the night with him and subsequently shared her warm, loving, giving body with him. He could think of nothing else since then, and it had been especially hard on him considering she had made herself scarce to him the past few days. Almost as if she were ashamed of what happened between the two of them. It didn't help that he was quite unsure of what they even had and if Karen wanted anyone else knowing. Usually, women didn't make it known that they had been with him. His unsavory personality and disposition on life had a tendency to make most women regret ever seeing his face.

A smirk crossed her face, and suddenly, Trevor felt more self-conscious than he ever had been before in his life. Oh, she was doing something to him. Doing something that he wasn't so confident he'd be able to contain for much longer. Soon enough, if he had his way, Franklin and Michael would see firsthand just how much he wanted to ravish her.

"Ready?" she asked as she stood, drawing his attention to the roundness of her breasts through the shirt she wore. The fabric seemed impossibly tight over her chest, and it made his groin area twitch. He watched as she grabbed her jacket, and he hadn't even realized that he stepped up to help her put the jacket on. His hands lingered on her sides, his eyes concentrating on her beautiful face. "Let's go."

He followed her back down the staircase to the open, nearly empty entrance of their building. Exiting out through the front doors, his face scrunched with curiosity.

"I'm guessing that's your minivan," he said as he pulled out the keys to his truck.

"Yeah. I don't have my truck back yet."

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, sliding into the driver's seat.

"I honestly don't know," she told him, gently shutting the passenger side door to the truck. "It sounded like the transmission, but I'm not totally sure. One of the mechanics is looking at it. Franklin said it would be done in a couple of days."

He hesitated starting up the engine, wrenching the steering wheel in his hands as he debated expressing his feelings to her. After a few long moments, he looked at her, hurt etched in his face.

"Do... Do you want to hide what happened?" He didn't wait for her response. "I mean, I know I'm not typically desired by gorgeous women like yourself unless I'm in a position of indisputable power, but I just – "

"What?"

"I just want to know if you want to forget what we did," he said after a few hard breaths.

"Why would I want to forget it?"

He leaned forward uncomfortably in his seat, starting up the truck's engine and backing up out of the parking space.

"I don't know. I guess I just figure that because you haven't wanted to talk to me, that you wanted to forget about it." He slowed for the first red light, fighting a strong urge to smash his face against the steering wheel. "I'm sorry if you felt like you had to give me a pity fuck to get me off your back."

"Get you off my back? Trevor, that was not out of pity. I don't sleep with people for no reason. I just have a lot of things going on."

"So then, what was it? Are we still just friends?" He accelerated as the light turned green, his brain still wracking through the possible answers she could tell him. "Friends with benefits type thing?"

"I don't do friends with benefits," she said, her tone almost snappy.

"So what was I? Not a pity fuck. Not a friend with benefits. What are we?"

"Since when did you care what a female was to you?" she questioned, tilting her head. "I've known you to use a female for not much more than a hole to satisfy yourself with."

Trevor was now at a loss for words. As much as he wanted to deny it and tell her she was wrong, she was right. The truth, as much as it was hurtful, was also very real. Still, he felt like he had to hold onto any shred of dignity.

"You think you have me all mapped out, don't you?" he bitterly scoffed.

"Why are you making this into something it doesn't have to be? I don't get it. Didn't you get what you wanted?"

"You think I care about just getting what I want? I told you how I felt, a feat that not every woman could ever claim from me, and you think I told you just to get off? What kind of a man do you take me for, Karen?"

"And I told you that I have a lot of things going on in my life." Her voice became quiet as she spoke. "Not everything is as easy as you want to make them."

He paused for a minute, looking straight ahead to the traffic in front of them.

"It could be."

Karen leaned her head back, a small smile on her face. "I think we both know that's not true."

"What, you mean coming from me? Because I complicated absolutely everything that doesn't need to be?" He sighed heavily, the grip he had on the steering wheel making his knuckles turn white. "I know that people think I do a lot of unnecessary things, but this... You are not one of them. I've never felt such a basic need to have someone with me."

She didn't say anything, instead looking over to him out of the corner of her eye. He refused to look at her, and she nearly burst out laughing over the solemn expression on his face. She didn't know what to think of their current situation. She'd have to take a day with Franklin to discretely discuss this entire ordeal. But right now, she was going to concentrate on house hunting.


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't know what to do, Frankie," she said as she ate another spoonful of her favorite ice cream. "Take him serious and risk having my heart broken again. Or let it go before something that could be real even develops."

"Does this guy know you like him?" Franklin asked as he pulled the strings on his boots to untie them. "I mean, have you been giving any hints?"

"Well," she said slowly. "I kind of... slept with him."

"You slept with him?" he repeated, wanting to jump off the couch. "You slept with some random dude that you don't really know. Kar, are you crazy?"

She snorted. "If I was crazy, I'd go for it."

"Girl, you got to be careful. You know how many crazy motherfuckers there are around here?"

"Believe me, I know."

Just then, a knocking on the door caught her attention. Placing the ice cream container on the coffee table, she stood to answer the door, expecting to see the usual delivery man with the Chinese food she and Franklin ordered not long ago. Instead, she was greeted by the sarcastic face of Trevor, the anticipated fast food clutched in his hand.

"Looking for this?" he asked sardonically. "This is a lot of food for one little girl such as yourself. Would we happen to have any guests over?"

His words slowed dramatically, and she didn't even bother stopping her eyes from rolling as she took the food from him and walked away from the door. Trevor took to letting himself in, missing the fact that their mutual friend Franklin was sitting on the couch, his eyes following the sway of Karen's hips. It wasn't until Franklin looked up, nodding his head and waving at Trevor did he even notice the young man.

"Hey, Trev," Franklin said, turning to look at the food Karen was placing out on the coffee table. "How you doing, man? Care to join us? We ordered plenty."

"Yeah, I saw the bill," Trevor said, which earned him a narrowed look from Karen.

"Did you pay?" she asked, more malice in her voice than she wanted.

"Yes, I paid. Do you think I would try and steal from one of the only places that will still deliver to me?"

Walking over to the kitchen table near the front door where her wallet was inside of her leather bag, she turned to him. "How much was it?"

"I'm not taking your money," he said bluntly.

Taking out two twenty dollar bills, she folded them in half. "Here, forty should do it."

Trevor placed his hand over hers, pushing it away. "I said, I'm not taking your money. Put your money back into your little bag and sit down."

He walked over to the couch where Karen was previously sitting, looking over his shoulder at where she still stood next to the kitchen table. With a grin on his face, he patted the cushion beside him.

"Yeah, come on and eat, Kar," Franklin said, completely oblivious to the tension between his two friends. "Dig in, Trevor. Not literally, but yeah, man."

Before Karen took her seat, Trevor insisting that she sit right next to him, she grabbed a few forks and spoons from the kitchen.

"I don't like the little plastic spoons," she said gruffly before joining them to dinner.

"""""

By the time they were done, the food was mostly gone, Karen telling Franklin that he could take the rest of it home. But he politely declined, saying that he didn't want the hassle. Karen then turned to offer Trevor, but seeing as to how he lived literally fifty steps away from her own house, she rendered it pointless. She noticed that Trevor would blankly stare at her from time to time in the couple of hours the three spent eating and watching television shows, and wondered what he was thinking.

She pushed wanting to know his thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't possibly figure him out for real, and whether she wanted to put up the facade of knowing his deal, it didn't make much of a difference when it came to Trevor. His thoughts were a mystery, and his actions actually spoke for themselves. Even with her own history, she didn't want to believe half of things she had heard Trevor did.

She saw Franklin to his car, not even thinking that when she crossed the short distance of the yard that was mostly dusty sand and dirt, to back inside the one bedroom house, that she would see Trevor standing in her kitchen. He had his hands in his pockets, and he stood like a pile of bricks. Completely still and non-expressive. It nearly scared her, but she ignored it as she maneuvered around him to grab a kitchen towel.

"I'm probably just going to watch the rest of this show and then go to bed," she told him as though he were acting like a normal human being, and she proceeded to wipe off the coffee table.

But this was Trevor... He was never normal. Approaching her, he took the cloth out of her hand and tossed it down on the table.

"You think I'm just going to be alright with you arguing with me? And then you think I'm alright with the fact that Franklin was over here and I didn't even know?"

"He's my friend," she said defiantly. "I can have friends over if I want."

"Ah, ah," he said, taking hold of her hands. "Not when it's a guy, and especially not when I'm not aware of it."

"You don't need to know about everything I do."

Trevor let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're cute, Karen. Really cute. Now get to the bedroom and take off your clothes."

Her head tilted in curiosity. Did he really just say that to her?

"I don't know what you think this is, but I'm not one of your little barbie dolls that you can run through and ignore afterward."

He caught her by the wrist as she began to lean over to grab the towel again. "You think I'm joking? You think that the entire time you were eating dinner and watching some mindless show, that I didn't want to drag you to the bed and have my way with you?"

"I'm not your plaything, Trevor."

"I don't want you to be," he quickly retorted. "I want you to be my woman."

Her eyes focused on his, squinting in uncertainty. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but thought better of saying anything.

"That's what I thought," he said with a finality. "Now be a good girl and do as I ask."

Leaving the kitchen cloth where it lay on the coffee table, she decided to humor him. If nothing else, she could at least get a good time out of him. Because surely, he'd never give up all the other legs that would spread for him just for her. She thought she was mediocre at best compared to the pretty girls at the club, much less anywhere else.

Trevor followed her into the bedroom, his eyes glued to the bottom that he couldn't wait to lay his hands on. Karen might not believe that he was sincere in his words, but she would remember what it was like to be disciplined by him. He watched as she removed her clothing, seemingly at a painstakingly slow pace. The anticipation building up in Trevor at simply seeing her naked flesh again made his chest hurt with a thump. And just as she lowered the purple panties she wore, she looked up at him, eyes smoldering with desire.

Her gorgeous face alone was enough for him. Her sensual eyes, her plump lips that parted slightly, allowing her pink tongue to moisten her upper lip. It was more than enough to make his cock throb with need. But she did something unexpected, something that made him feel justified in thinking that she was the one for him.

She knelt down by the corner of the bed, placing her hands together behind her back. Her hair dark brown hair was framed around around her face, and she looked up at him, waiting for his next order.

"Oh, my God," he said as he looked at her. "If this isn't right, I don't want to know that it's wrong." Taking off his shirt, he stood before her, marveling once more over her beauty. "Undo my pants."

She obeyed, her nimble fingers swiftly pushing the metal button through the loop on his jeans. He smiled, then did the rest himself. Grasping her chin with his fingers, he could see her eyes finding their way to the part of his anatomy swaying between his legs.

"Are you going to do anything I tell you to do?" he asked her, making her eyes shift back up to his.

"Yes," she simply said.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, sir," she corrected, her eyes traveling down again. He wasn't built with huge, bulking muscles, but he did it for her. She didn't like muscle-heads anyway. She needed someone with sharp thinking to get through tough situations.

"What are you thinking about, my sweet?" he asked, breaking her thought process.

"You," she answered truthfully.

"Oh yeah? Could you possibly be thinking of putting my cock in that sweet, delicious mouth of yours?"

She didn't have to reply as he pushed himself in front of her.

"Lick it until it gets hard," he told her, nearly jumping at the electricity of her tongue on him. She licked from the tip to the base, the blood rushing to his cock making it hard almost instantly. Her tongue continued to lick over it, sliding up the shaft until he pulled away. It took all of his control not to shove his dick in her mouth. He wanted to savor this as much as possible.

Karen braced herself as Trevor weaved his fingers through her hair, gathering a fist full of it before directing his cock back to her mouth. Entering her warm, moist mouth was like nothing he ever experienced before. He had tested the mouths of many girls, and none of them compared to this. He tossed his head back as she took more of him into her mouth, feeling the swirl of her tongue massage the underside of his shaft.

Only after a few minutes, he had to stop her before he shot his seed down the back of her throat, and as much as he wanted to do that as well, he would save that for another night. Tonight, Karen would learn a few rules about their relationship. With hesitation, he pulled her off, gripping her arm to pull her to her feet.

"On the bed, on all fours," he commanded. "Ass up, chest down."

He groaned inwardly when she did exactly as he said, the perfection before him making him more happy than he had ever been in his life. Her pussy glistened with her arousal, and there was only one thing that could possibly make him momentarily overlook the warm hole that made him feel like he belonged to her – the rounded cheeks that begged to be slapped. He couldn't stop himself from doing it, the sharp smack that his hand made on her cheek echoing throughout the room.

The stinging sensation caused her to cry out, and she felt his hand rubbing over the area, soothing it.

"This," he said, still rubbing the tender flesh, "is for arguing with me." His hand raised up again, coming down with a vengeance with another strike. "If I say I'm going to pay, then I will pay. No pouting. No crying. There is no arguing with me." Another harsh slap. "Understood?"

Karen moaned, arching her back up as she spread her arms out to grasp onto the bedding. "Yes!"

"Good," he said, tracing his fingertip around the other plump ass cheek of hers.

He let a quiet moment pass, listening to Karen's labored breath, taking in the fact that she was his tonight, before landing a full-fledged slap down to her bottom. She cried out again, this time Trevor able to hear the struggle in her voice. He could hear she was battling the urge to shed real tears, the waver in her tone unmistakable. She was trying her best to keep it in. An ounce of sorrow washed through him over the pain she felt, even as he landed a few more strong slaps to her cheeks, but he would make her feel good after she took her punishment.

With one more smack, he studied his handiwork. Her flesh had turned a crimson red, and he was profoundly satisfied with himself.

"That," he said shifting around behind her, "was for being in another man's company without me and without me knowing."

She pressed her mouth into the blanket, muffling the scream she let out as the pain numbed her body. All she could feel was tingling and the buzzing that surrounded the inflamed area. There was no way she would be able to sit properly in the morning. She didn't have another minute to think about the pain before she felt the warmth of Trevor's body against her thighs. He guided himself into her, filling her quickly and completely. He stilled for a second when she launched forward, but held her close to him.

"Oh God, Trevor!" she shouted, supporting herself on her arms, her hands digging into the fabric beneath them.

He took the opportunity to grab a fistful of her hair again, pulling it just hard enough to make her scream accompanied with each hard thrust into her body. He didn't want this to end. Karen giving herself to him, without question, and having her total trust. It wasn't easy for someone to allow a person to do what he had done to her tonight. Refusing his mind to delve into deeper thoughts, he concentrated solely on Karen's body and pounding into her so relentlessly, it wasn't long before he felt her body shaking uncontrollably.

She reached her arm back, grabbing onto his ass as she squeezed around him. Yanking back on her hair one last time, he jolted and came hard within her. He released her hair, allowing her to swing her head, making her hair toss to one side. She looked back over her shoulder at him, and he could see she felt thoroughly used. Had it been anyone else, Trevor would have left their bedside by now, fully dressed and on his way out the door. But with Karen, his sweet, loving Karen, he grabbed a hold of her hips and pulled her down to lay beside him.


	10. Chapter 10

"Don't be upset, Kar," Franklin told her as he looked at the clipboard that had notes scribbled everywhere. "At least we know what the problem is."

Karen wasn't upset. She was pissed off. The old, blue pickup truck she had used ever since she learned how to drive was the only thing she had of her father. She knew that asking a Bobcat from thirty years ago to work in pristine condition was too much, but damn it, she wanted something to remember her father by.

"Just look at it this way," Franklin continued when she hadn't said a word. "You could get a new car. Because you know as well as I do that replacing the engine in that will cost more than what the truck's blue book value." He placed the clipboard down on the marred, wooden work bench. "I know it belonged to your father, but maybe it's time to let it rest. It's done some hard work over the years."

She ran her hand over her hair, brushing the loose strands out of her face. "True, but what am I going to do with it? I can't just get rid of it. It's the only thing I have left."

"How about I have it towed to your house, and we can leave it in the garage? That way, it's safe from the weather, and maybe one day, we can fix and replace everything that needs it."

"Yeah," she said with a sad nod. "Sounds like that's the best option. I just refuse to scrap it."

"No, you don't have to," the mechanic in the garage said. "I'll make sure it gets to your house before the day ends, Miss V."

"Thanks, Cesar," she said with a smile. "Guess I'm going to use my van for a while."

Franklin's cell phone rang, the distinct voice filling Karen's ears when he answered the device on speakerphone.

 _"Hey, is Karen with you?"_

"Yeah, man," Franklin replied, turning to look at her. "We're at the garage. Just got word that it's the engine in her truck that's gone fucked up."

 _"Is it going to be replaced?"_ Trevor then asked.

"Nah, she decided to leave it in her garage for now. I'm going to have Cesar take it on over soon."

 _"I'm going to swing around and pick her up,"_ Trevor said. Karen's head tilted and her eyes narrowed. _"I have a surprise for her."_

"A surprise?" Franklin repeated with humor in his voice. "I don't want to have any part in that."

Karen blocked out the rest of their conversation. Trevor had a surprise? For her? She could only imagine what it could be. The wait seemed to drag on forever, the seconds ticking by as if they were minutes. The guys had gone back to their work, leaving Karen to stand around with the anxiety of Trevor finally showing up. It seemed like hours, but it was only a half an hour or so before the familiar rusty red truck appeared in the dusty entryway of the garage.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Trevor said with an enthusiasm she wasn't quite used to hearing from the man. His eyes shifted over to where Karen stood, and she felt like her heart plummeted to her stomach. "And lady."

Trevor made his way over to the workbench where Cesar was filing down some sort of custom fittings.

"How you doing, Mr. T?" Cesar asked politely, ever the good-natured man that was a steady and confident worker. As their trusted mechanic, there hadn't been one thing that Cesar was not able to perform and complete.

As Karen zeroed in on Trevor, the conversation, much like the one on the phone just a bit ago, was missed. The smutty man that had somehow captured her attention stood with an air of self-assurance and authority. She was a walking contradiction when it came to Trevor. On more than one occasion, she had tried telling herself that their trysts were just that... A roll in the sack, meaningless rendezvous. But she saw the charm in him, and it didn't help that his admittance of love for her swayed her like a school girl with a crush.

He was standing directly in front of her before she fully snapped out of her thoughts. His hand was held out, his lips twitched, and his eyes looked at her expectantly.

"Ready for your surprise?" he asked, his hand still itching to feel her skin.

"What is it?" she coyly asked, skirting around taking his hand.

"Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"No, but I'd at least know what I'm getting myself into," she shot back, the corner of her mouth twisting into a half of a smile.

"Sweetheart, you never know what you're getting into with me."

She grabbed his hand, ignoring the look on Franklin's face at the odd exchange. Franklin had become her best friend shortly after she set foot in this state, but she wasn't going to make herself look like an idiot in front of him. Not until she knew she had a leg to stand on with Trevor. Until she knew she could trust him. She had already told Franklin way too much of the situation, albeit without Trevor's name.

Knowing the rough terrain of the roads out in the dusty, sandy area of where she and Trevor called home, she dreaded taking any length of ride in his pickup truck. It had been bad enough in her minivan, and she had even placed a pad down in the driver's seat before leaving to meet Franklin at the garage hours ago. The hand marks that had turned a deeper red that Trevor had left on her derriere had horrified her. And to say that the entire area was radiating with soreness was the understatement of her life. She had never felt so tender before, and it was all because of the man who now held the passenger side door open for her.

"Wait a second," she said in a low voice. "I have to get my pillow."

"Pillow?" Trevor echoed, although the moment she turned, allowing him to get a glance of that perfect rear-end of hers, he knew exactly what she meant.

Franklin, however, was out of the loop.

"What pillow?" he asked, stepping out the garage for a minute.

"The pad I used to sit on so I could drive comfortably," she told him, heat spreading through her face.

"You needed a pad?" Franklin pushed on. "Is something wrong with your ass?"

"Nothing's wrong with her ass, Franklin," Trevor then commented, taking the padding from her hand and placing it neatly down on the seat for her. "A little extra comfort never hurt anyone."

Karen glared at him, then took the step up into the truck.

"""""

"A little extra comfort never hurt anyone?" Karen sarcastically repeated as they cruised through the bustling city. "It's been three days since you hit me – "

"Disciplined," he corrected.

" – on my ass and it still burns. It hurts to the touch. I can just barely wash my ass!"

"You'll think about it twice though, won't you, before you put yourself in the situation to be alone with another man." He held his finger up to stop her from responding. "And before arguing with me."

Karen huffed out a short breath, looking around at the surroundings. "Why are we at Simeon's? You know he irritates me."

"You won't have to talk with him," Trevor said, pulling the steering wheel in order to turn into the car sales lot. "Everything's all done. I just needed you here to pick it up."

"Tell me that you didn't get me a car," she quickly said as the truck came to a stop. Opening her door, she looked at the cars through the huge glass windows, her eyes swiftly moving between each vehicle.

"Okay, I won't," Trevor told her. "But, I got you a car."

"I don't need a car from anyone."

"I want to give you a car," he pushed on stubbornly. "It's all done, Karen. Just accept it."

She stopped in her tracks. "What do you want?"

Trevor looked genuinely confused, his lips pursed. "For what?"

"In return for the car? You must want something."

"Why yes, I want you to have a car." He didn't let her continue on with the bickering, taking a hold of her hand and walking her to the inside of the lot, where an overly zealous Simeon greeted them.

"Ah, Mr. Philips, I've been waiting all morning," he said, holding his hand out and waving them in to join him in the office area. "Come, come. All Ms. Karen here has to do is sign."

She snatched her hand away from Trevor's. "I'm not signing anything," she said defiantly. "Besides, none of these cars are something I would even look at."

"But sweetheart," Trevor teased as he walked over to a compact car. "Don't you like the Weeny Issi I got you?"

She grit her teeth. "Not funny, Trevor."

"It's not meant to be funny, dear. You'll love it!" Animatedly shuffling over to her, he grabbed her hand again, tugging her into the office space. "Now come on and claim your prize!"

"No! No, Trevor!" She struggled against his grip. "This is _not_ funny, Trevor Philips!"

Simeon, fully noting the despair clearly written on Karen's face, intervened with an idea of his own. "Mr. Philips, perhaps you should let the lovely lady first see exactly what she's getting, ehh? She might be a little more... receptive of the sentiment."

Trevor paused to consider Simeon's words. From the short time he had known Karen, she was never the one to accept or even ask for help. She certainly wouldn't be open to blatant handouts. Trevor's heart twisted at the thought that she would take it as some pitiful handout because her father's truck was in the ruin now. He would never want Karen to think that he believed she couldn't handle her own. Looking down at her pretty brown eyes, he saw just that – the wretched look of someone wanting to prove to the world that they could make it on their own.

His face softened and he pulled Karen to him. "This is a gift, sweetheart. I want to do this for you."

Simeon gave them a moment, still not totally convinced that Karen would be accepting. But he lead them to the garage area, showing them the vehicle Trevor picked for her.

"See," Trevor said, waving his hand to the sedan. "It's even your favorite color."

Karen walked over to the Cheval Surge, running her hand along the shiny, candy apple red paint job. It looked like a pearlescent apple. She glanced down, noticing that the rims were also red.

"I had the wheels done in a powder coat," Trevor told her. "And there's a metallic coat over the body of the car, just to break up the monotonous color of just a plain red." He moved around to the front of the car, running a hand over the front. "I had the headlights enhanced, too. Makes it easier to see at night."

He looked over at her with such a proud look on his face that she couldn't help but soften at the idea of receiving such a car. Biting the inside of her cheek, she considered the upsides to it. It was indeed her favorite color, and it was an efficient vehicle – one of those hybrid gas-electric cars. She would definitely save on gas. On top of saving money on gas, she had seen some reviews on this particular model car. The video she watched of the guy who took cars out for test drives said that it packed quite a decent punch in speed, and that the steering and handling were excellent.

Moving closer to him, she grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I like it," she said, a smile moving across her face. "Thank you, Trevor."

"Yeah?" The excitement in his voice overpowered the hesitation he saw in her eyes. Still, if she was willing to accept it, then he wasn't going to argue. "Great! Let's go sign, Kitten!"

"Oh, no," Simeon interrupted. "You two go ahead. We can sign later. The paperwork is still here and ready whenever you'd like to come back."

"Want to follow me back to Sandy Shores?" Trevor asked Karen as Simeon disappeared into the office again to retrieve the keys.

"Yeah, I can make lunch once we get back home."

Back home. It made Trevor's heart lurch in his chest. She made it sound as though they lived in a cozy, warm, loving house together. That couldn't have been further from the truth. In fact, she wanted to move away from him. But he could pretend for the time being that the hours he spent at her house were because they were a loving couple. That they were together, forming a life with one another. She was young and waiting for the best life had to offer. His time had already passed by him, the best years of his life spent trying to get over betrayals and lies.

Trevor watched as Simeon dropped the keys into Karen's hand, helping her settle into the car and showed her some features on the dashboard that would help her make using the system easier. If Trevor didn't have as much sense as he did, he would have told her to follow him to a jewelry and bought her a ring to propose to her. But he knew better. He might have been able to push her in the bedroom, but pushing her around in everyday life wouldn't work in his favor.


	11. Chapter 11

Karen had to admit, she liked the smooth ride of the car. It required little effort to accelerate and the gentle humming of the electric engine made her appreciate the fine mechanics. By the time she arrived at her house, Trevor was parking in front of his trailer before stepping out of his truck and briskly walking over to her place, she could honestly say that she fully appreciated the car and Trevor's effort. There was only one unsettling thing about it.

"I'll have the rest next week," Karen said to Trevor a minute after he stepped through her front door. She placed a beige bag on the kitchen table. "There's seven grand in there. Count it if you want."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Trevor held out his hands, pushing away the bag as though it contained something highly offensive. "Where is this coming from? You just keep seven grand in a bag in your house like that?"

"I saw the price on the paper. Fourteen thousand," she said loosening the drawstring on the bag. "I'll have the other half next week."

"Fourteen was only the sticker price. A lot more went into the customizing."

She gave him a stony look. "How much more? Ten grand?"

"What? No. Not that much."

"Well, how much then? Let me know."

Sighing, Trevor sat at the kitchen table, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I thought we went over this, Karen."

"No, you told me what you did and thought I'd be okay with it. I'm not. Did you really think I'd be okay with you probably harassing my former boss in order to attain a vehicle? The asshole barely wanted to pay me for the work that I was doing."

"I know, I know," he blurted out. "I remember hearing something about it from Franklin. But look what he was able to do for you with just a little bit of persuasion. Besides, I don't care if the front of his shop was smashed up. He should care a little more about the people who used to work for him."

He could still see the hesitation in her expression, and he tried to think of something more to ease her mind about it.

"You're nice, Trevor. A sweetheart to me, even. But I can't accept something like that. I've known you for less than six months. People that I have known all my life wouldn't dare give me something that costs so much."

"Then maybe you have the wrong people in your life," he said quickly, noticing the flash of anger that came over her face. "Look, I didn't do this to make you mad. It was never in my mind to just buy you a car, not until you told me there was something wrong with your truck." He looked down at his hands folded atop the table. "I know how much you love your truck, and I just wanted to give you something that you would enjoy equally as much."

Karen looked down, almost ashamed at the strong reaction she had. But she couldn't completely wipe her convictions. She had never accepted charity, from anyone, and she wasn't going to start now.

"If it bothers you so much, I'll return it. I'm sure Simeon can get as much out of it as I had put in it," Trevor continued, feeling stupid.

"If you agree that I need to pay you back for it, I'll keep it," she said, hand on her hip.

Trevor's odd hazel-brown eyes landed on her, hoping that her hand would expose just a tiny bit of the delicious skin of her hip. If he wanted a payment, another night with her would certainly make things even. He tempted fate with his crude sense of humor.

"So, what? You mean, sex?"

Despite wanting to smile, she didn't. Her eyes narrowed, although her face stayed soft.

"Next job we do, you take my cut."

"No," he immediately said. She tilted her head up, letting him know that she refused to budge in this deal. His shoulders sank with another sigh. "Fine. Then you have paid me back and I don't want to hear nothing more about it."

"Good," she said with a nod. "Now what do you want to eat?" She moved towards the fridge, opening it to see what she had already made. "Do you like chicken salad?"

"Oh, I want to eat," he practically growled out, "but I don't want chicken salad."

She stood straight, staring at him wide-eyed. "What?"

His hands were on her body before she could say another word. His lips smashed against hers as his hands roamed over her curves.

"Naked, on the bed, or I'm going to fuck you right in this kitchen."

Startled by his words, her hand pressed against her chest. Amused by her reaction, he posed a question to her.

"Do you want me to fuck you on the counter or the floor? Your choice."

"Stop being an animal, Trevor," she told him, her eyes still concentrated on him.

He pulled her close, biting on the side of her neck. "I _am_ an animal, dear."

Her first reaction of closing her eyes and relishing in the feel of his hot breath so close to her skin surprised her. Yet she hoped that his teeth would sink into her flesh once more. A heavy sigh escaped her as he pressed his body against hers again, his rough hands squeezing her padded hips.

"Sometimes I wonder why you act the way you do," she breathed out. "You can be caring."

He cupped his hand around the back of her neck, his low rumble of a voice in her ear.

"I don't want to be caring tonight, my love," he rasped. "I want rough and hard. Brutal and violent. I want to take everything that you are and make it my own." His hand snaked up the back of her neck to her hair, grabbing onto her hair and yanking her head back. "I don't care if the others know anymore. You are going to be mine."

Holding her body close to him, he took her to the bedroom, where he pulled on her hair just enough to make her fall onto the bed. He didn't hesitate in quickly undoing the button of her jeans, pulling them off around her legs. The skimpy panties she wore underneath didn't hide much of herself from him, but he nearly tore those off as well, tossing them somewhere behind him.

He let out a dark moan. Seeing Karen bared to him made him feel like his body was on fire. Leaning before her on the bed, he spread her thighs wider and traced his tongue over her warm slit. The noise that came from her only urged him to do it again. His tongue found its way to the sensitive nub, flicking over it. Karen sucked in a sharp breath, her hand reaching down to his head.

"Trevor, please," she begged, and his golden eyes looked up at her.

He was pleased with the sight of her shirt stretched over her breasts, ecstasy etched on her face, and when he saw her teeth bite down on her plump bottom lip, he lost any shred of control he had. Standing, he shed his clothes quicker than Karen could blink, and he took to pulling her up just enough to grab a hold of her shirt.

"Get rid of the bra," he ordered as he pulled the shirt off her body. "Or it will be ripped in many places."

She reached behind her to unclasp the bra, Trevor impatiently yanking it away and throwing it to the floor on the side of the bed. She was just able to move up on the bed before Trevor was over her again, placing his body between her legs. Karen learned that he wasn't lying about being rough when she felt the intrusion of him entering her hot core without much of any warning. A hearty whimper soon turned into exquisite cries, and Karen just about lost herself in the hard, steady rocking that Trevor executed within her body.

When he leaned up, his hand roamed up her body, feeling her soft skin before stopping on the side of her neck. His mind was clouded with the pleasure of thrusting inside of her, and he barely realized his hand had clutched her neck. The other hand soon joining, it wasn't until he felt Karen's hand over his did he realize he was clenching at her throat, constricting her breathing as he ferociously drove into her. She scratched at his hand, but didn't seem to want him to stop.

"Yes, Trevor," she gasped out, her nails digging up his arm. "Yes, _papi_."

"Oh, yes, honey. Call me daddy."

Karen tried stretching her neck out as his hold on her became tighter. "Yes, daddy!"

The noise of her bed slamming into the wall faded as Trevor continued his sensual, gratifying assault on her. She somehow managed to strangle out a cry as her body began to tremble and she felt that tightness in her break. Her hand pushed against his chest out of reflex, but Trevor remained stable above her. It was one strong thrust into her that sent him over the edge, his cock swelling before shooting his seed into her. One hand of his let go of her neck to grip her thigh as he drained himself.

The realization that he had choked her hit him hard. It was such a natural instinct, he couldn't stop himself. He could just barely see the redness of where his fingers had been embedded on her skin. As firmly as he'd been pressing, he wouldn't have been surprised if his fingerprints were imprinted into her flesh. An awkward sense of pride came over him as he thought of the fact that he had marked her, branding her as his. The way she looked up at him as she tried to catch her breath made him believe that she genuinely enjoyed his actions.

He didn't give it another thought as he rolled to her side, allowing her to get up. She disappeared out the bedroom door, Trevor hearing the sink in the bathroom as he laid on her bed with his arm over his eyes. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For her to come back from the bathroom and explain to him that he was just too fucked up for her to even consider a real relationship with him. That she didn't want to spend the rest of her years putting up with his absurdity and bullshit. Now that he'd had a taste of her, he didn't know if he could really let her go. He couldn't just let her walk out of his life as if she didn't mean anything to him.

"What are you thinking about?" her voice softly asked. He looked down at the foot of the bed to see her neatly folding up their clothes. She placed them next to the closet as she coyly looked his way. She flashed him a smile before she reached for the red robe hanging from the corner of her closet door.

He shook his head, patting the mattress next to him. "Bring yourself over here naked as you are, Kitten."

She stood there a moment, studying Trevor. She never knew the extent of the scars marking his body. Knowing that he used to be heavy into drugs cast a sadness over her heart. What was it that made him not care about himself? She and Franklin had only been filled in with bits and pieces about the history between Trevor and Michael, and from what they had been told, through the two old-time friends arguing, was that Trevor felt betrayed. She knew exactly how betrayal felt. It didn't have a low level that could be looked over. It just was there in the lives of the people who suffered from the actions of people who were too cowardly to admit their doings and too busy saving their own asses.

She had been through more betrayals than someone her age should even have to know about. The last one, that led her to travel cross-country, landed her here. In her room, bare naked, and staring at a man she would probably never fully figure out. As much as she might like to, she would never learn of all the things that went through his mind. All she knew now was that he wanted her. Maybe it was because she was an easy companion that he also happened to be able to sleep with. Perhaps he really did want something deeper.

Now it was his turn to ask.

"What are you thinking about?"

She climbed over the comforter, Trevor's eyes immediately going to her ample bosom. Dramatically, she rolled her eyes and then saddled up beside him. "Could you make it a little less obvious?"

His head slowly turned from side to side. "No way."

Falling into his arms, she laid beside him with a content sigh. "You think you're going to ever go back home?" she asked, her hand rubbing over his chest.

"Not if I don't have to." He glanced down at her, seeing that her expression wasn't showing any dislike at the idea. "Besides, I feel like I am home with you."

Karen was quiet for a long while and he was nervous that he had said the one thing that would scare her away. But then her pouty lips parted and he could see the inquiry in her eyes.

"Why?"

He didn't know how to answer her. How could he possibly explain to her exactly how awkward he really was in life. Many things just hadn't gone the way he wanted them to, no matter what he did or how hard he tried. That's why he took his self-made enterprise by the horns. He didn't care if it seemed to be a joke to anyone else. To him, it was serious, and he wasn't going to lay down for anyone. He knew that Karen's hands weren't clean by any means, but she had such an innocent aura about her that he felt drawn to her. Like she would cleanse him. But a dirty rag only spread around more dirt. They would only be able to go so far without having to make that decision of where they would go in life.

"I've had enough taken from me to know what's good and what's not," he carefully said. Taking her hand into his, he ran his thumb over the top of her hand. "You may have done some shady things, but that's simply surviving. Anyone who says that they haven't at least thought of doing something illegal, I'd be quick to call them liars."

She remained silent as she listened to his words, the rumble of his chest calming her.

"Not everyone can be handed things in life," he continued. "Sometimes, we have to take. Take what we know we can do and what we can handle."

Her fingers trailed up his chest, swirling in gentle circles. "Do you think you can handle certain things?"

"I can deal with anything I have to," he said, stealing a glance at her soft face. "There are certain things that I've never really gone through before."

Karen took in her bottom lip, nervously biting on as she debated pushing her luck in asking him more. She wanted to know about his life, about his past, she didn't know just how to go about doing so without somehow setting him off. The rants that Trevor went on weren't nice ones. Despite their odd relationship, she didn't want to upset him by making him think she was nosy. She continued running her fingers along his skin.

"Like being with a woman?" she questioned softly.

His brows arched at her question. "I've been with plenty of women," he told her. "Have I ever taken any of them seriously? No." His hand smoothed down the side of her face. "Not until you."

"So you _do_ want to take this to another level?"

"What level are we on now?"

She took in his scarred face. "I would say people who fuck each other. Is that accurate?"

His felt that twinge of jealousy thinking of another man sharing a bed with her like he was at the moment. "Will you be fucking any other guy?" He looked at her expectantly. "Or girl?"

She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled in her chest. "Can't say I'm into women," she said sitting up in the bed and rubbing her legs. "Although I will admit that I think women are beautiful. The girls down at the club are fantastic."

Trevor turned to his side, touching the soft skin of her leg. "That reminds me," he began, Karen's interest perking up at his business-like tone. "I was thinking that we could hire a few new girls. The same girls have been there since before I... took it over, and it's time to start hiring more people."

Karen tilted her head, nodding. "Some fresh faces would be good."

"Are the waitresses fine? That one has a bit of an attitude, but Shannon seems to really like you as a boss."

She stared at Trevor a moment, taking in what he had just said. "You want me to help run your club?"

He didn't say anything, his blank face hardly giving any answers.

"Trevor, I can't just go into someone's business, guns a-blazing, and do things as though it's my own."

"It's not just _someone's_ business," he quickly said. "It's mine."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"Well... would you do it if... " He looked away from her, hesitant to offer her a job.

"If I was your employee?" she finished. "Yes, if I were on the payroll and it was my job, I would do it." She chewed on the inside of her lip before taking a deep breath with this next question. "Can I be a dancer?"

"Only if you want me to beat you," he answered with the most serious face she'd ever seen on him.

The slightest hint of a smile made her lips twitch. "I guess that would be a no."

"That's a hell no," he said before pulling her close and holding her tightly. "This is mine."

"Oh," she purred out, her hand running over the top of Trevor's head. "That's good to know. I don't have to worry about anyone else now."

Trevor silently vowed that he'd kill anyone who dared to harm her. He wished that this moment, feeling Karen's nails gently scratch at his head and her soft body next to him, would last forever. He couldn't remember the last time he was even remotely as content as he was laying here with her. He hoped that things weren't too good to be true.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey, Kar," the familiar voice buzzed around the crowded office space. "Where you headed off to?"

Karen looked up from the file cabinet she was shuffling around in, a bright smile on her face. "I'm going to pick up my friend from the airport in a few minutes," she informed him. "Just cleaning up here a bit before I go. If this is to be a legitimate front, it should be better organized."

Franklin took to looking around the garment factory's office. To anyone else, they would see a messy place of business in desperate need of a tidying up and updated equipment. But for years now, Lester made this building the gathering point of nearly everything they worked together. Lester even allowed some unofficial jobs to be assembled here, and for his kind gesture, Karen always made sure to cut him a slice of the action. She was ruthless, but she wasn't stupid. There was too much to be lost without the connection of a man like Lester.

Besides, she genuinely liked Lester. Strange though he was, he was usually good for just the right amount of awkward weirdness in a conversation that would make it unforgettable.

"Will you be at the club later?"

Karen turned towards Franklin's direction.

"No," she said before closing the cabinet with a bump of her hip. "I thought I'd take my friend out to dinner and show him around a bit. He's never been out this way before." She scooped up more folders before going over to another file cabinet. "Would you like to come?"

"Sure, if Trevor doesn't mind me taking the night off."

She quickly remembered that Franklin started managing the bouncers at the strip club – at the behest of Karen's words. She was wholly shocked that neither man argued a bit at the suggestion.

"I'm sure he won't mind if you accompany me for the night." She gave him a sly smile as she placed the paperwork into the cabinet and went to the nearly cleared desk once more. "Let me do these last few files and we can go. I told Les that everything would neatly be at his fingertips should he come over in the morning."

"Cool, I'll wait downstairs."

Watching him drop step-by-step down the stairs, she finished her work in nearly no time at all. Grabbing her bag, she flew down the steps, shoving her belongings in Franklin's hands.

"Gotta potty!"

He barely picked up what she had said as the bathroom door opened and shut. Shaking his head, he straightened out the leather bag in his hand and walked out to where their cars were parked. The jingle of keys made him glance up to see Karen locking the doors to the factory.

"You driving?" he asked her as he stood next to the passenger side of her vehicle.

"Yeah, I'll drive."

"This a nice car, Karen," he told her as he slid into the seat. "What did Trevor drop on this? There's no way it's stock."

"Over fifteen," she said as she took her bag from him and set it down on the floor behind his seat. "I'm almost done paying him back."

Clicking his teeth, his eyes narrowed. "He made you pay him back?"

"No, I wanted to." Still feeling the skeptical gaze over her, she went more into depth. "To his credit, he refused, offering to return it before making me pay. But I'm not accepting anything for free. I haven't before and I'm not going to start now."

"Yeah, I understand that." Running his hand over the dashboard, he nodded approvingly. "This is real nice though, Kar. Looks like Trevor actually put some thought into something other than himself."

Karen was happy to make small talk with Franklin, skimming over the fact that Trevor had been putting more thought than just a car into her lately. Their crew still didn't have any idea what was going on, and though Trevor may have wanted it otherwise, Karen was grateful they didn't know. She hadn't even spoke to her closest friends about Trevor. Those who knew her for much longer than Franklin had. Those back where she grew up. Surely, some would be supportive, and others not so much.

As they winded down the highway, taking the off-ramp that would lead them to the airport, Karen wondered who she could trust anymore. She hadn't been back home in years. Would they see her differently now? It was difficult for her to trust at all. Those that she kept close were people she didn't have to talk to on a daily basis. It didn't matter how long they were apart, things never changed. And she thought she had that in Luis, but it was a slip up that she blamed her heart on. She wanted to see him differently than how he really was.

But she knew better now. She couldn't trust Luis as much as the next random guy walking down the street. At the end of it all, he may as well have been a stranger. That's how their relationship felt – strange. He had managed to make her do the one thing no else ever had. He had made her question herself. Question herself so much to the point where she picked up and left. She never ran, but she had to get away. Trevor hadn't made her question herself... so far.

"Hey," Franklin's voice cut into her thoughts as he pointed with his thumb behind them. "The terminal's this way, Kar."

"For people who aren't arriving on their own jets, yes," she said as they pulled into the entryway for the hangars.

Franklin stared at her for a moment. "His own jet? What kind of guy is this?"

The smile that settled on her face made even more questions rise up in Franklin's mind.

"A man with a lot of connections, a lot of money, and more time on his hands than he should really have," she replied as they waited. "Also, my best friend. Someone who gave me a chance where no one else was willing to, and he wasn't afraid of what would happen."

"What would he be afraid of with you?" Franklin asked, amused at the thought. "Flan doesn't have enough caramel?"

She took his joke with a stride that she wouldn't have with most people. It didn't take much time for her to consider Franklin one of her best friends. He had proven many times over that he was there for her no matter what and without question. The kind of friendship they all had didn't need questioning. It didn't need second guessing. They needed doubt-free. Jump in and ride to the next problematic spot. And Karen was glad to know she had found at least four people she could do that with. As far as she was concerned, that's all a crew ever needed.

"Damn," Franklin's voice said as a black and gold jet landed on the runway. "Tell me that's not your friend, Kar. That's some serious looking gear right there."

Karen turned off her car, slowly opening the door and stepping out. She watched as the black jet entered the hangar and came to a full stop. The smile on her face was bright as the steps lowered, eventually revealing her beloved friend. The man held out his arms, welcoming her as she ran up to him.

"Karen! My sweet girl!"

"Yusuf!" She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze.

"Oh, how have you been, my dear girl? It has been too long!"

"Been good," she replied, pulling away from him. "I think you'll like your visit here. Beach weather nearly year round."

"Well, thank goodness I brought my bathing suit!" Laying his arm over her shoulder, he began walking with her back to her red car. "Karen, why don't you allow me to provide transportation? I, uh, do not want you chauffeuring me around for an entire week. It is not necessary."

"What?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "You too good to be driven around by us common folk?"

"Karen," he started, holding a hand out to him. "My dear Karen, you know what, you take me for a nice ride. How about that, hmm? Then later on, I arrange a helicopter ride."

Karen laughed at his suggestion, sure that he would certainly make it happen. They approached her vehicle, Franklin getting out to greet her friend. He held out his hand to the older man, and Yusuf gladly took it, shaking it heartily.

"Yusuf, this is my good friend Franklin," she introduced. "He's been watching out for me."

"Good to meet you, homie," Franklin said, returning the hearty shake.

"Frankie, this is Yusuf Amir. He took care of me back at home."

"Ah, my dear Karen, taking care of is not something you need," Yusuf commented. "I know you. You probably have all of San Andreas under your belt by now." He jokingly shook a finger at her, letting out a deep laugh before waving them towards the car. "Okay, come, come. Show me around."

"""""

"So, where are we headed tonight?"

Yusuf leaned forward, placing his head between the shoulders of Franklin and Karen.

"Headed to the strip club, man," Franklin answered as they stopped at a red light. "Our friend Trevor owns it, so it'll be a real treat."

"Karen!" Yusuf exclaimed. "You never told me you were a stripper! You certainly have grown up."

Completing her mascara application, she laughed, tossing around in her bag for some eyeshadow. "Now, Yusuf, you know that I am not a stripper. I just help manage it. Frankie sometimes works bouncer."

"You know," Yusuf started, placing a hand on her arm as she applied her eyeshadow. "I'm real proud of you, Karen. I know you've never wanted to go into business with me, for the sake of feeling like I'd just finance you, but I'm real impressed with the business woman I always knew you could be."

"Thanks, Yusuf," she sweetly said. "You're too nice to me sometimes."

"Ah," he said, sitting back in the seat. "I am not nice enough. I feel as though I abandoned you when you needed someone the most."

Franklin pretended to not hear her friend's confession, continuing on driving as Karen turned around in her seat to face Yusuf.

"You didn't," she simply stated. "You didn't abandon me. I left. If anyone's to blame for any gap that may have been put between us, it's me." She straightened herself up, placing her makeup back into her bag. "I just couldn't stand all that bullshit with Luis, and him leaving me out of jobs because he thought I'd be this silly little homely girlfriend who would stay tucked away and be at his beck and call. I wasn't putting up with that mess."

"I know," Yusuf comforted. "You should never lower yourself for someone else, and I'm glad you didn't. Luis is nice, don't get me wrong, but he's a bit... how should I say? Shady?"

Karen snorted as she applied some naturally toned lipstick. "Shady isn't the word. He wasn't always that way, but he became full of himself. Forgot what meant the most in life."

"Not to mention, he was doing some rather... unsavory things behind your back. Karen, I stopped dealing with him after I discovered his unfaithfulness to you. I do not condone that."

She was quiet for a moment, letting the information sink in. She hadn't know that he stopped working with Luis for that reason. All she knew before she left Liberty City was that some very lucrative jobs had fallen through because neither side could agree on terms. Yusuf had a strange way of letting people go once they crossed him in a way that could never be forgiven. They were extremely close, but she would have never figured she meant that much to him.

"I don't want you giving up making money because of me, Yusuf," she told him, feeling sorry for it.

"No, no, my dear Karen. It is not I who lost out. Trust me."

She could only smile at the tone of his voice, reading the underlying message in his words. He made sure Luis suffered in his own Yusuf Amir way. By the time they arrived at the _Vanilla Unicorn_ , the two friends were much better, laughing and bumping hips with each other as they made their way into the club.

"This," Karen began as she held out her arm, "is the _Vanilla Unicorn_. Owner, Trevor Philips. Manager, yours truly. And head of security staff, Franklin Clinton. Right this way, gentlemen."

She led Yusuf to a large, comfortable booth in the corner of the open room.

"This is a fantastic looking club!" Yusuf called out over the music.

"Yeah, man, about a month ago, we finished up some remodeling. Cleaned it up a little bit. Made it bigger," Franklin informed him.

As the two men talked, Karen noticed Trevor coming out through the curtained-off backstage area. She stood, walking up to him and taking him by the arm, giving him a wink before pulling him back to their booth.

"Yusuf, I'd like you to meet Trevor." She waited until Trevor held out his hand, albeit warily, for Yusuf to shake. "Trev, this is my best friend from back in Liberty City, Yusuf Amir. He's going to be visiting for a few days."

"Nice to meet you, Trevor!" Yusuf said proudly, shaking Trevor's hand with an enthusiasm that Trevor did not share. "I've heard good things about you!"

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too." Slowly letting his arm down, he turned to Karen, confusion all but melted onto his face. "Karen, can you come to the back with me? I have... something I want to show you."

"Sure," she smiled out, looking at Franklin. "Frankie, keep my guest entertained?"

"For sure, Kar. Go on. We'll still be here."

The smile on Karen's face lessened as she followed Trevor to the office. It dropped completely when she saw the look on his face. Sitting on the edge of the desk with his legs out and crossed at the ankles, he didn't waste any time questioning her.

"Who is that?"

"I told you who he was. He's a very good friend of mine from back home."

"You used to fuck him?"

"What?" Face twisted in shock, her eyes widened. "No!"

"Then why is he here?"

"Me and Franklin have been showing him around since he landed – "

"He flew in? Today?"

"Yesterday, and he's been with us all day today – "

"What plane was he on?"

"He has his own jet."

"Oh, one of those rich Arabs, is he?"

Karen let her disgust show. "What is wrong with you? At least act civilized for my guest for the night. You won't have to worry about seeing me for the rest of the week."

"Hey, hey!" he called after her as she started for the office door. Grabbing her by the wrist, he spun her around. "You don't walk away from me. You know, you could have told me that you were going to have your _friend_ fly in just to cuddle up to you and tell you how much he missed you."

"You're an asshole, Trevor."

"Oh, like you didn't know." He pulled Karen away from the door, pressing her against the wall next to it. "You listen to me. I will _not_ have you parading around with your little friend, and then you bring him to _my_ club – "

"I wanted you to meet him!"

"Right, meet him. If you wanted me to _meet him_ , you would have asked me to go with you to pick him up!"

"I didn't originally ask anyone to go with me! I was going to go by myself!"

"But Franklin went with you? I saw that he didn't clock in last night."

"We were in the factory. He had nothing else to do, so I asked him if he wanted to come with me," she told him, recapping their day. "I told Frankie that if he was coming along with me, you wouldn't have a problem with it!"

"Well, obviously I do!"

She pushed at him, her soft hands pressing into his chest. Feeling her nails dig into his skin, he let out a low rumble of a growl. Tilting her head to the side, he bit at her earlobe.

"If we didn't have company, I'd fuck you right here, right now," he muttered in her ear.

"You're crazy, Trevor." Letting out a deep breath, she managed to push him away enough to look into his eyes. "Stop being so jealous," she told him, his expression softening at her words.

"I can't help it." He moved away from her, motioning towards the door. "Especially when there's better people out there for you."

"I don't want better people. I want you. And I want you to stop flying off the handle at everything. I wouldn't do anything to wrong you behind your back. So, stop that bullshit."

He looked up at her with pitiful eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled in a low voice.

"Can you act like a human being long enough to entertain our guests like we should?"

He nodded his head, allowing her to take him by the hand. But he didn't move when she headed for the door, instead pulling her back to him, hugging her around her waist.

"I like doing things with you, Kitten," he said, running his hand down her side. "You make me feel strangely normal."

Karen ran her hand over the top of his head, smoothing his hair. "I think we are _far_ from normal, sweet baby."

"""""

Some time during the night Michael and Amanda joined them for dinner, the six friends seated in a secluded area in a fancy, upscale restaurant – Yusuf's treat of course, to show his appreciation to his newly found friendships. They were waiting for dessert to arrive, laughing at the stories that Yusuf told. They learned that Karen was just a child when she met the Amir family, immediately being taken up by Yusuf himself. And that Yusuf's father favored Karen greatly, and not just for the connection the Amir's had made with the Vercetti family.

"I'm telling you all," Yusuf continued, tapping on the clothed table. "My father admires Karen for her strong sensibility and her no nonsense attitude. There are times where I'm sure he wishes I were as smart and thoughtful."

Karen shook her head, taking a sip from her water. "Not true, Yusuf."

"Very true, my dear Karen."

Beside her, she felt Trevor tense for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight. She knew Yusuf's terms of endearment for her wouldn't sit well with Trevor, but she appreciated the fact he seemed to be keeping himself under control.

"So," Michael said, moving his napkin from his lap to the table. "Will you be starting any businesses here, Mr. Amir?"

"Please, call me Yusuf!" he said before taking a more serious look. "There are many things I believe I could do very well here. But I'm afraid my love is in Liberty City right now. Perhaps some years in the future will afford me to gain land cross-country."

"Is that what you do, Yusuf?" Trevor asked, looking over at where Yusuf sat across from them. "Buy land?"

Yusuf nodded. "I buy land and develop it. Condominiums, certain store contracts, vacation destinations. You know, real estate. It's all very easy to do once you get into it."

"Ohh," Trevor groaned out, ideas starting in his mind. "Perhaps we can do business some time in the near future."

"No business talk at dinner," Karen chided.

Amanda sighed out, taking a hold of Michael's hands. "It seems like that's all they ever do."

Yusuf let out a hearty laugh. "Oh pretty ladies! Yes, we'll not discuss business right now. What I wanted to know is when Karen is going marry Franklin here?"

Karen sucked in the sip of water she was taking, choking on it as she heard Franklin's confused exclamation. Michael and Amanda stared at her and then Yusuf. And she was pretty sure Trevor had stopped breathing.

"What?" Trevor asked monotonously, his mouth hung open.

Wiping her mouth, the laugh that came from Karen's mouth surprised everyone.

"Yusuf, Franklin and I are just friends. There is nothing going on there."

"Yeah, dog," Franklin said. "I mean, she's pretty and all, but she a little tough for me."

"Oh shut it up, Franklin," Karen laughed out. "I think Yusuf just wants one of his friends to have some babies. This isn't the first time he's pushed marriage on someone."

"Have a habit of this, man?" Franklin asked him.

"Well, can you blame me?" Yusuf asked. "I just want Karen to be happy."

"I think that's sweet of you," Amanda kindly put in.

"Karen, you know that Nathan and Farrah are still off and on with each other." Yusuf waved his hand in the air casually. "Kids today. I just don't know what to think of it anymore."

"Who's Nathan?" Trevor asked, clearing his throat.

"My little brother," Karen quickly answered. "How is Farrah, by the way? Last I talked with her, she was going to be in her school's play."

"Oh, yes. She's very excited about that."

"And Farrah is?" Amanda then asked.

"Yes, she is my niece," Yusuf replied. "Fifteen going on thirty. Man, these kids today grow up too fast."

"Isn't that the truth," Michael commented. "Seems like only yesterday Amanda and I had our babies."

The desserts and treats arrived then, being placed among them.

"If it's babies you're looking for, Yusuf," Karen said as she dipped her spoon into the ice cream she ordered, "then maybe you should wait for the two of them in a couple of years."

"Ah, nah. My sister told me that Farrah has to be on that, uhh, stuff."

"Stuff?"

"What you are on," he said. "That birth control stuff."

Karen tilted her head. "She's on – "

"Birth control?" Trevor blurted out. He slipped out of the side of the booth, looking solely at Karen. "You're on birth control? Well, no wonder!"

"Trevor, sit down!" Karen hissed out.

Michael looked between the two of them. "No wonder what? What's going on, T?"

Trevor concentrated on Karen's face, his brows raised. "You going to tell them?"

"Tell us what, man? What's going on?" Franklin curiously asked.

Amanda gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God."

Karen moved her eyes over to Amanda, knowing that she had pieced it together.

"Are you going to tell them?" Trevor repeated, his stare feeling as though it could melt a hole into her.

"Karen," Yusuf's voice broke through, making her look his way. "Is something wrong?"

Trevor grunted impatiently. "There's nothing _wrong_ , my dear friends. Well, if you don't include someone denying someone else the simple, basic chance to announce to their close friends that they have been _sleeping_ together for months now. Oh, and that they want to be together, but I guess that's just impossible for her to admit!"

With that, he walked away from the table.

"Trevor!" Karen said, scooting out to follow him.

"Aww, they like each other!" she heard Amanda squeal out as she chased after the very emotional man that quickly made his way to the front of the restaurant.

"Trevor, wait." She barely side-stepped another customer as she went out the doors. "Stop, please."

"No," he called back, not bothering to look at her.

"Please, Trevor, it's not that I didn't want to tell anyone." Following him through a small alley way, he calmly walked to his truck. "Trevor, I don't care if anyone knows."

"Oh really?" he asked, slapping the hood of his truck as he spun to face her. "You don't care, huh? Because for _months_ I've been trying to figure out what the fuck we are! And then it just came to me, right there at that table, in front of everyone, that I know what we are! And that is _I'm_ someone who's waiting for someone to realize that _she doesn't want me_ so she can make a complete fool out of me!"

"That's not true, Trevor!"

"Fuck if it isn't!" he shouted, slapping his truck again before wrenching the driver's side door open. "I've been a fucking idiot to think that you could ever really love me. Well, at least you had fun, right darling? Got a few good rides on some old man that could never quite be good enough for you, no matter what he did for you or how much he's tried to show that he's in love with you!"

The sound of the engine rumbling to life scared her. She didn't want him to drive off, not knowing where he'd go or what he'd do. There were a lot of habits that he could fall back on in such a time of duress. She didn't want that. She wanted him to be safe. She cried out as she saw him prepare to shift gears, and quickly found herself seated next to him.

Trevor didn't say anything, didn't even look at her, as he hastily shifted and took off.


	13. Chapter 13

"Man, what the fuck was that about?" Franklin asked as the rest of them finished their desserts. "I would have never thought she would go for a guy like Trevor."

Michael stopped himself several times from speaking, his mouth hanging open several times before finally letting out a deep, slow breath.

"As long as he treats her right," he said in a low voice.

"Treat her right?" Franklin asked. "This is T we're talking about. Are you sure he could treat anyone right?"

"Hey, regardless of what I've ever been through with him, I will say this – Trevor is loyal," Michael defended. "He gave me shit over what I did to him, but he had every right to."

"What, uh, what went on between the two friends?" Yusuf asked.

Michael shook his head, draining the last of his wine. "That's a story that I'll have to tell you over a few beers. But I'll tell you this, as well... Karen is safe with Trevor. He would put his life on the line for her, and if he really loves her, he'll protect her no matter what."

The men fell into a silence, neither Franklin or Michael wanting to admit what this could mean for their crew. They needed to be functional amongst themselves, and they weren't so sure that this relationship between Trevor and Karen would be able to co-exist during jobs.

"Well," Amanda's light voice said with a smile. "I think it's cute."

"""""

"Where are we going?"

It was the fourth question Karen had asked him as they cruised down the highway in a quietness that was unbearable to her. She had a feeling that he wasn't up for answering anything, but she didn't want him to think that she was completely shut off from him. The things he said weren't any more predictable than the things that he did. Karen needed him to know she was open to talking... when he was ready, of course. From an outside perspective, it very well may have looked as though she was ashamed of their actions. But the truth was, Karen was unsure of herself. There were many things about her that she knew were not so desirable, and having been treated like yesterday's garbage by someone she thought loved her... It wasn't so easy to trust herself with these matters.

"They never asked," she finally said after a few more minutes of agonizing silence. "If anything was going on, I mean. No one did. I'm pretty sure that blindsided them." She continued to look forward as she talked, knowing that she most likely wouldn't get a word out of him. "If anyone had asked, I would have told them. I don't mind the idea of being with you. I just... never thought anyone would care." Looking down at her fingernails, she scoffed. "My ex wasn't kind to me, so after him, I wasn't going to bother anymore."

The city had subtly turned into the rural side of town, with nothing but a few scarce buildings and dirt trails. She stopped herself from talking more as Trevor turned off onto one of those dirt roads. The bumpy ride just as unsettling as this non-talkative side of Trevor. In fact, if she didn't trust Trevor so much, the idea of him taking her to an excluded area and offing her was very real. But she knew how he worked. She knew the emotions raging through him.

"I know you're upset, Trevor," she started, but was cut off at the sound of his gravely voice.

"Upset?" he repeated back to her with a sarcastic chuckle. The truck was slowly rolling to a stop near the Alamo Sea. "I am far beyond _upset_." He turned to her in the parked truck. "Do you know how it makes me feel to find out that you're on birth control? And that you didn't even bother telling me?"

"What?"

"You know, I had been trying to figure out why you weren't coming up to me and telling me that you had a little Trevor-bun in your oven. But now!" He opened his car door, stepping out and walking a few yards away. "Now, I know!"

"A baby, Trevor? You want a baby?" She followed suit, pacing her way to him. "Are you insane?"

"Oh, honey, you know I am."

"This isn't a joke!" she snapped. "Did you think we'd sleep together once and instantly have a family?"

"No," he sang out. "But I didn't know I was even being denied the opportunity!"

"Oh, fuck off with it," she muttered, waving her hand to him. "You know what, no, it's not okay. I didn't know that I had to report to you about what I do with my body! It was before I even knew you!"

"Yes, yes," he said, talking over her. "You do have to tell me."

"Before I even came to this side of the country!"

"You have to tell me because you're mine!" he shouted. "You're fucking mine, and I want everyone to know!"

She looked down at the sandy ground, a laugh crossing her lips. "I thought that that was just something you said during sex. To feel better about yourself."

"Why would I need to feel better about myself when I was already in you?"

Karen noticed how serious his face was and laughed even more. "I can't believe we're even having this discussion."

"Why not?" he asked, walking over to her with his arms and hands stretched out. "Why the fuck not, Karen? You too _good_ to have one of my offspring? Hmm? Don't want to taint yourself with my DNA? Is that what it is?"

"Fucking goodness," she laughed out. "You are so full of it."

"Oh I'm full of it? I'm full of it? You're the one who lied to me about something that means so much, and I'm the one who's full of it?"

"I didn't lie to you."

He scoffed. "You didn't tell me the fucking truth. What's the fucking difference!"

"The difference is you're not my fucking husband! I don't have to report to you!" She dared to step up to him, close to his face. "That's the fucking difference! Believe me, I never thought I'd actually fall for you, but I'm not going to stand here and fucking argue with you about this! That's not how this works!"

"And how does this work?" he asked her sarcastically. "Hmm? Do we ignore each other now? Or do we walk hand in hand, perhaps skipping down the desolate streets of life?"

"Stop being so fucking dramatic, Trevor." Without another thought, she hopped back into his truck. "Take me home. It's getting cold."

"""""

"I said home, Trevor," Karen said as they pulled up at his trailer.

"I don't care what you said. You're spending the night here with me."

"Why?"

He opened his door, slamming it shut before walking over to her side. "Because I said so."

Opening the door for her, he waved his hand to his trailer with a flourish. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why do you want me to spend the night with you? So you can make more decisions about my life without me even knowing?"

"Get out of the truck, Karen." He was willing to wait a few minutes for her to come to her senses, but when she crossed her arms, he knew she was being too stubborn for her own good. "You lied to me – "

"I didn't lie," she defended.

" – and you still didn't want to tell anyone what we've been doing. So just make it easy on yourself and get out of the truck."

"And why would I want to tell everyone my business? When have you ever known me to go on and on about what I do or who I'm with?"

"You're not going to be with anyone besides me from now on," he said, taking a hold of her arm. "So you can tell your friend _Amir_ that his little marriage between you and Mr. Franklin is nothing but a dream. Now, come on."

He didn't have to pull on her arm very hard. She huffed out a breath and slid out from the seat, Trevor placing her in front of him as they entered his home.

"I didn't know he was going to say that," she admitted. "It was just as embarrassing to me as it was surprising for you to hear." Sitting down on the couch, she pulled off her heels. "I'm sure it surprised Frankie too."

Trevor leaned against the kitchen counter in front of the sink. He held a bottle of beer in his hand, and his eyes concentrated on her as if he were thinking hard about what to say.

"I'm sorry," Karen said with a sigh, "if you think I was lying to you about it. I wasn't even thinking of it. It's something that I've been taking since I was a teenager."

That got Trevor's brows raising.

"You've been... avoiding pregnancies since you were a teenager?" he asked in that flat tone of his that made Karen cringe.

"No. I have female issues. Taking birth control helps regulate my period. It's a very common thing."

"Oh, I see." He nodded his head, taking another swig of his beer. "That still doesn't explain why a man that you claim is just your _best friend_ knows about you taking something so personal. Did he ever get the chance to procreate with you?"

Karen rolled her head, feeling how tense her neck was. "I've never had any type of romantic or sexual relationship with Yusuf. So get that out of your head right now." Looking down at her hands, she took another deep breath. "I couldn't afford it when I was first told it would help with my female issues. My mother worked twelve hour days sometimes, but the cost of living in Liberty City is so high and taking care of two kids, that between her and my stepfather, it was just making ends meet."

Trevor stood there, listening carefully to what she had to say. It bothered him greatly that another man had helped her with something such as this. He desired to be the only man she came to.

"So, one day, when I was sixteen, Yusuf asked me to come over. He wanted to talk to me about something. He had never really sounded so serious, so I thought it was something bad. But when I went over, he brought up the fact that my mom had told his mom that we couldn't afford the pills. And my condition was bad. I mean, I couldn't even go to school some days. It was just nonstop."

"Then you accepted his offer to buy you birth control?"

"No actually," she said, standing so she could start pulling off her clothes. "I told him I didn't want him paying for anything of mine, but when he told me how upset momma was, I gave in. He bothered me about it for weeks before then."

"If you were to... stop using the birth control, would your condition return?"

Shaking her head, she gave him a small smile. "I don't know. I imagine it would. Another reason why I refused payment help was because I didn't want the chemicals in my body. It can't be good to take something that constantly tricks your body into thinking that you are pregnant all the time."

He watched her fold her clothes and place them on the couch. She looked sad, defeated almost. Perhaps this was something she didn't want to think about, and that made him feel bad for reacting to it the way he did. Before he could apologize to her, she grabbed his hand, looking at his fingers as she gently rubbed them.

"Can we just go to bed, please? I'm sure the barrage of questions will come from the guys tomorrow and I want to be rested enough to deal with it."

Trevor's face softened at her request. He quickly realized that she opened up to him again and it made his heart beat with a happiness that was usually unknown to him. A few questions still nagged at him, however, and he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to ask.

"Do you still take the birth control?"

"Take it? No. Have it? Yes." At his confused stare, she lifted her arm, showing him a tiny scar. "They have these rods that they implant into your arm. It's like a piercing gun and it shoots the rod into your flesh. They tell you to keep it bandaged for a few days as it heals and then it's good for three to five years."

"How long have you had that one?"

"Just about four years. I had it put in not long before I made the drive here. It took me a few months to get used to it, but it seems to work as it should."

"And if you needed to replace it?"

"I don't have insurance, so I would have to pay for it out of pocket," she informed him.

She could see his mind still working, reeling from the information he had gained during the night. He had opened his mouth several times, seemingly tossing out each question or comment right before it left his lips. Karen knew that he wanted to be extra careful in the things he said to her. He was still upset but he didn't want to hurt her with harsh words that would be impossible to take away.

"I – "

Placing her thumb over his lips, she hushed him, barely brushing her own lips over his. "Sleep now," she softly said. "I promise I'll answer any other questions you have tomorrow."

Trevor never gave in for anyone. He never quit pursuing the answers he wanted. But for Karen, the sad look in her eyes made him back down. The animal in him sat back on its haunches, and for once, he relented in being so tough. His hand slid over her back, pulling her close to him. That sweet scent of her so addicting, and he inhaled deeply, wanting to draw out as much as he could from her.

"Fine," he exhaled out. "Tonight, you get what you want. Even if you did piss me off and make me just want to strangle you."

She smiled against his chest. "I wouldn't put it past you to choke me for something."

Trevor felt his cock twitch at the thought. He had already seen how beautiful she looked with his hand wrapped around her neck. The bronze-tone skin of hers reddening slightly under his fingers. The way her mouth parted in a gasp as he worked her body. And what captured him even more were those deep brown eyes of hers. They made him realize why he loved her, why he felt like he had a home with her.

She had no fear in him, and those eyes told him that. They showed no bit of fear towards him, and despite what he had found out today, they showed him no doubt. He trusted her words when she told him that she didn't care who knew they were together. However, the emotional turmoil in him churned when he thought that she wanted to willingly deny him a child. Feeling her hands rubbing over his back, he looked down at her, lips pouting and eyes staring into his, he felt like giving her everything she dreamed of.


	14. Chapter 14

**_A/N:_** _It's been way too long since I uploaded anything. Figured I might do just that with this story. Thank you and enjoy._

"""""

"So you and Trevor, huh?"

Karen looked up at the men sitting in the office. Between the two of them, she wasn't quite sure who was more surprised.

"I guess you could say that," she mildly said.

"You guess?" Franklin scoffed out. "Man, me and M would have never guessed your ass would go for Trevor."

"Why not?" she questioned, sealing an envelope to be mailed out.

"Maybe because we didn't take you as a mentally deranged person," Michael said. "Seriously, Karen, you might want to consider some medication."

The door bust open, the familiar gravelly voice traveling through the air.

" _Seriously, Michael_... There's nothing wrong with her."

Trevor slowly walked into the office space, looking around between his three companions.

" _You_ might want to reconsider talking to my woman like that."

Karen smirked at Trevor's comment, steadily continuing with her work.

"It all makes sense now," Franklin put in.

"What does?" Michael asked curiously.

"The Cheval."

"The Cheval?" Michael repeated? "What Cheval?"

"The one that I've been driving around for a couple of weeks now, shortly after the club's first reconstruction started," Karen answered. She turned her attention back towards the work at hand, muttering under her breath. "I really don't know why they consider you to be their decisive leader."

"Speaking of leader," Trevor said. "I'm not paying you guys to sit on your asses while Karen handles all the paperwork."

Franklin sucked a breath in through his teeth. "Man, you not _paying_ us at all."

"Hey, this entire club's under total construction. Do you think I'm spending my days lazying around? No! I'm getting shit done, my good friend."

Karen turned in the chair she was sitting in to face Trevor. "I have those applications for the new girls. I told them that I'll contact them once I get your approval."

"You don't need to run anything by me, Kar," Trevor said as he approached the desk.

"Yes, I do," she said boldly. "This is your club."

He took her hand into his, lowering his frame to kiss it. "I trust you."

"I'm getting the fuck outta here, dude," Franklin called out before heading towards the back exit. "You coming with me to get some lunch, M?"

"Yeah," Michael lazily agreed. "Some lunch would be good right about now."

Karen waited for the two to leave out the door before letting out the laughter she was holding in. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"If it meant that we'd be the only ones left in this joint, then yes."

He pulled her up from the chair, his arms circling around her, and his nose immediately nuzzling into the side of her neck.

"You still mad at me?"

Her question took him by surprise and he pulled away from her. "Mad? Kitten, I don't think I could ever be mad at you."

"Oh-ho. I'm glad you think I'm so innocent."

She twisted, attempting to continue on with her work, but he stopped her.

"Forget about it," he told her with a kiss.

"I need to get this done, Trev."

He pulled her towards him as she tried to get away from him again. "I said forget about it. This place is empty. I plan to have fun."

"But... these permits... "

Trevor knew he had her when she moaned, a paper slipping from her hand. Her arms locked around his neck and he gripped her thighs, opening them so he could wedge himself between them.

"I think we need to say a goodbye to the old club and welcome the new."

"""""

The morning sun peaked through the curtains that lined the window in her bedroom. The previous night was a total blur to her. Champagne toasts, pizza, and a bit more booze was to blame for the dull ache she felt in her head. _Not too bad,_ she thought as she turned over in the bed. But she quickly sat up when she failed to see the one person she expected to be next to her. A clattering in the kitchen pulled her thoughts away from getting another hour or two of sleep. She was tying her robe loosely around her waist when she heard what sounded like a skillet drop and Trevor's gruff voice cussing like a sailor.

She took in the sight of the stove covered in pans as she walked past the kitchen table. Trevor, still cussing, was running his hand under the kitchen faucet.

"What happened?" she asked him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving her attention away.

As she reached into a cabinet for the first aid kit, she noticed the splashes of an egg mixture strewn all over the counter. One of the heavy cast iron skillets was crooked on the stove top, half hanging off a heated coil.

"You have to be careful with hot cast iron, Trev," she said as she gently tended his hand. "There's silicone handle covers, or you should use an oven mitt or a towel at least."

He stood there like a child with a boo-boo, a pout on his face that brought a slight smile to hers.

"I just wanted to make you breakfast," he sadly said.

"Breakfast?" she repeated. "It's nearly lunch time."

"I guess I shoulda made some sandwiches or something. Would have been easier."

"I don't know," she said looking to their side. "French toast is a good brunch."

"It would have been better if I had made it without melting off the skin on my hand."

"It's okay, baby," she soothed as she took to wrapping his hand. "I appreciate the thought."

Trevor remained quiet as she finished tending to his hand. Karen left a kiss on his fingertips after she was done, Trevor turning towards the refrigerator when she let go of his hand.

"What's that?" Karen asked, seeing a rectangular bandage taped to the side of his neck.

"What is what?" he questioned, then saw her stare at the hidden surprise. "Oh, it's something I had done."

"More ink?"

"Yeah," he said. "For you."

She suddenly felt the intensity of his stare on her. "Me?"

He continued staring at her, taking in the wonderment in her eyes.

"You want to see it?" he finally asked.

Tilting her head, her gaze lowered to the bandage once more. "Did it hurt?"

"Not more than usual," he said, beginning to peel away the tape. "But I'm more than used to the sting of a needle etching into my skin."

"I don't want you hurting for me, Trevor," she said quickly. "For any reason."

"You're worth it, Kitten."

The nickname sounded through her mind even more when she saw the very word branded on his flesh in an outlined cursive trail.

"Trevor," she gasped. Her hand trailed over his arm before it suddenly dropped to her side. "That's where you were yesterday. When you said you had something to do."

"I did," he said plainly. "Making sure you were engraved into my flesh."

"But everyone was there, Trevor," she said, a hint of sadness to her voice. "I thought you'd be there too."

"Hey, you had fun without me, right?"

"It wasn't the same."

"Well, according to the state of you when I picked you up, you were pretty okay with me not being there," he said, twisting his neck as her fingers daintily replaced the bandage over his tattoo with new gauze and tape. "You know, by the way, I had to carry you out of Franklin's house, into the car, carry you back out of the car, and into the house. I say you were having loads of fun."

"I wasn't drinking like you think I was," she stiffly defended. "I had a couple of heavy drinks and it knocked me out." Closing the first aid kit, she hastily placed it back into the cabinet. "When you called and said you weren't going to come, I kept to myself with a few cocktails."

"Ron wasn't there," he reminded her.

"He didn't want to be there because you weren't. You know how dependent he is on you. Besides, he's not you. It didn't bother me he didn't come." With an oven mitt in hand, she moved the cast iron skillet to the back burner. "You didn't have to do that."

Trevor's brows furrowed. "Are you mad at me for getting the tattoo?"

"I don't want you to regret getting it."

"Babe," he said, wrapping an arm around her curvy waist. "I'll never regret anything for you."

When she blew out a harsh breath, he held onto her arm, pulling her even closer to him.

"Hey, I mean it. I'm fucking loyal to those that I care about."

"You also mentally abuse some of them, too." At his crooked glare, she added, "Wade and Ron? They're scared of you, Trevor. I don't like it."

"Is it my fault that they don't know their asses from their elbows?"

"Maybe not, but you don't help it either. Plus, neither one of them know how to do much of anything on their own. Don't you want to be able to depend on them to act based on their good judgment and not the fear you've put into them?"

"I want to _rely_ on the fact they do what I tell them to do."

"That's not how it should be," she said as she began cleaning up the breakfast mess.

"Hey," he said, stilling her hand with his. "I still want to cook for you."

"It's okay, honey," she told him. "We can go out to eat."

He nodded his head, giving into her idea. As he put away some items that were sitting out, he slowly turned to her.

"Speaking of going out... Lamar was there?"

"Last night?" she questioned, rinsing off the dishes. "Yeah. Why?"

"Did he... try anything with you?"

"No. Why?"

"Because if I hear that he asks you out on a date one more time, I'm going to kill the little shit."

"Trevor," she began. "You have no real issue with Lamar."

"I didn't," he said truthfully. "Until I kept hearing that he claims to have slept with you."

Karen placed a dish onto the drying rack. "Total fib. That guy has liked me since I first came here. I swear, he can't control himself."

"Well, he better fucking learn before I put a bullet between his eyes."

"Stop it, Trevor. There was nothing ever going on between me and Lamar."

"There better not have been."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because if I meet an ex of yours, I just might be liable to chop his body up and serve him to the homeless."

"You do know that I have dated guys before you, right? There are exes, whether you like it or not."

"And I'll kill them all," he said, moving away from where she stood cleaning.

"I don't say anything about anyone you've been with," she challenged.

"That's because I haven't been with anyone," he told her. "In quite some time."

"Oh yeah? But you have liked a few ladies. Perhaps one named Molly?"

"Hey, she was totally coming on to me," Trevor defended.

Karen let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure. She was so _totally_ into you." She wiped her hands dry on a kitchen towel, eyeing Trevor as he sat down heavily onto the couch. "Anyway, Franklin asked me to do a thing with him today. So you'll be able to have a breather without me for a few hours."

He twisted to look at her. "What thing?"

"I, uh, don't know. He didn't give me any details."

"So you're just going to go on a job without any information?"

"You know Frankie wouldn't actually take us anywhere without us knowing what was going on if he could help it. I'm sure he'll let me know when I get to his house."

"You're going to his house again?" At her nod, he asked, "Why didn't you just stay the night there?"

"And have you question why I did? No thank you. Besides, you picked me up without me even knowing it. He told me early yesterday morning when we were preparing for the party that he had this thing to do and asked if I wanted to help him."

"Lamar going to be there too?"

"I don't know," Karen answered him as she cleaned up the counters. "My guess would be probably. You know how they are."

Trevor grunted. "I know how _he_ is."

Karen gave him a dull look. "Again, nothing has ever happened between me and Lamar."

"I don't like how he looks at you," Trevor pressed.

"I don't pay attention to how he looks at me," Karen quipped, and continued talking so he wouldn't have a chance to say anything more about Lamar. "I'm going to take my shower now. Did you want to go eat, or can I just be on my way?"

"I'm going with you either way," he enthusiastically said. "So your choice, sweet cheeks."

"Oh, are you now?" she questioned, her brows raising.

"I sure am."

"And why is that? I'm sure you have things that you need to do. Why would you waste time following me around?"

Trevor was on his feet, his hands gripping around her before she could realize it. She could feel his fingers dig into her sides in a possessive manner.

"Because you're mine," he said in a low growl. "And I'm not having you go into something that you don't know anything about."

"It's never killed me before," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"If you're going to do this thing, then I'm coming with you. End of story."

Her lips scrunched into a smile she was trying to hold back. "Fine, but don't cause any problems, Trevor," she said, pushing her hand into his chest. "It's not necessary."

"Probably not," he said, taking a hold of her hand and pulling her toward the bathroom. "But I am going to take care of you and watch out for you. I've been doing this for much longer than you have."

Karen began tugging off the clothes she wore as Trevor turned on the shower. His hand was under the shower spray, his eye catching the flowing fall of her robe, and then they locked onto her naked form. He couldn't have wanted anyone more perfect or asked for anything better. When her eyes noticed him staring, she tried to push her way into the shower, which only allowed him to take a hold of her once more.

His fingers filtered through her hair as their lips met, his hand holding her still. She moaned against his mouth, the palm of her hand pressing against his chest. For a brief moment, Trevor thought she was denying him, but then he realized her hair was soaking wet, as was the side of his shirt. She stood naked against the shower wall, the spray of the water beating down on them.

Quickly removing his soaked shirt and the other clothing he wore, he joined her, immediately resuming his kiss. His fingers gently found her center and the gasp that escaped from her made him burn even hotter.

"Put your leg on my waist," he mumbled out as he felt her hands squeeze at his stomach.

She nodded and nestled her thigh right above his hip. Crooking her knee around him, she felt his strong hand grip the side of her leg.

"I don't want you getting hurt," he told her. "I'll kill anyone who hurts you, Kitten."

"No," she gasped out.

"Yes," he reinforced harshly as his hand continued to work her. "I'll give you everything that you've ever desired."

He placed himself even closer to her, and she felt the head of his shaft at her core's entrance. Taking her other leg in his grip, he slid into her, and she locked her legs around him. The expression on her face looked pained, but Trevor was causing that pain and he reveled in the moment. Her lips were parted, her eyes had closed, and she had thrown her head back against the tiled wall.

"I fucking love you," he said with a pump of his hips. "You understand me?" Another pump. "Huh?"

The first hard thrust caused her eyes to fly open. "Yes!"

"That's a good girl," he grunted out as he continued the plundering of her body. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he nipped at it before telling her, "You belong to me, Kitten. You're mine."


	15. Chapter 15

"So what is this job you wanted us to do?"

"Us?" Franklin repeated. "Man, I don't remember telling you nothing."

"Well, homeboy," Trevor began, slapping Franklin on the back harder than necessary. "If my lady goes, I go. Comprende, hombre?"

"Man, whatever," Franklin dismissed, waving his hand. Turning back to Karen, he continued. "I got some towing jobs to do and I wanted to see if you wanted some extra cash, seeing as to how we both quit Simeon, and on the same day. So, how 'bout it? I'll go in half with you."

"Half? Okay, that's fine with me," Karen said with no hesitation.

"Wait, wait, wait," Trevor interrupted, both of them swinging their heads to look at him. "That's it?"

"What you mean is that it?" Franklin asked.

"I mean, is that the extent of the deal making? Where's the threat of bodily harm if Franklin here doesn't pay you, Karen?"

Karen simply tilted her head and smiled at him. "That's it, Trevor," she repeated back to him as she thumped on the tow truck's frame. "Now get into the truck."

Trevor waited for her to settle in before sliding in and shutting the door. He watched as Franklin handed Karen a clipboard and turned over the engine.

"The first one listed is at an address it looks like," Karen told him as she rattled off the location. Trevor watched as she wrote down a few notes, including the date and time they were starting the pick up, and then she messed with a few dials on the CB radio, picking up the microphone to it. "Jay, we're going to be going down the list on the board today."

 _"Who's with you?"_ the man asked.

"Franklin."

 _"Okay, I'll put that down on the schedule. Thanks."_

"No problem," she kindly replied and snapped the microphone back into its place.

"This should be an easy pick up," Franklin informed her. "I know these people. They're cool."

"Yeah, until they eat your face off for taking away their car," Trevor noted.

"They're not you, T. I think we're safe from that happening."

"Yeah, because I don't owe on anything, kid. Paid in full with cash."

"I highly doubt that robbing people qualifies as legit source of income."

"Income is income, no matter how you try to spin it, Franklin."

"Boys, no bickering please," Karen interrupted. "This job can be crazy all on its own. It doesn't need the likes of you two to make it worse."

"Damn, it's like, Kar?" Franklin laughed out as he turned onto the street they needed to be on.

"Just like that," she said with a smile. She grabbed Trevor's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I know we don't normally knock, but I think I will considering I know the folks," Franklin told her as the tow truck came to a stop. "I'll be back in a minute."

Trevor popped open the passenger door, Karen following him to the back of the truck.

"Stay in the cab," he told her. "I can hook this up."

"You sure? I know how to do it if you want some help."

Franklin emerged from under the awning, a worried elderly lady following him. The woman was crying, speaking so quickly in Spanish that Karen barely caught it.

"I explained to the grandson what was going on," Franklin said as they approached Karen. "He's fine with it, but couldn't make his grandmother understand. Will you speak with her, Kar?"

Trevor looked on as Karen spoke with the woman in Spanish, showing her the clipboard.

"Always gotta be something," Franklin said as he started on the opposite side.

Trevor was tightening down the straps as he caught the woman giving a gracious hug to Karen. "She's fucking amazing," Trevor thought out loud.

"Who? Kar?" Franklin questioned as his eyes followed where Trevor was staring. "Yeah, she cool."

"Listen, Frankie," he began as he leaned on the boom arm. "You never, uh, thought of dating, have you?"

"Me? Date Kar?" he asked as he tightened straps. "Nah, dude. I guess in the beginning there was a possibility, but that could be for anyone."

"And, uh, what about Lamar? Know anything there?"

"Lamar? Man, he would date _anyone_."

"Does he have a... _thing_ for Karen?" Trevor asked as they finished up securing the vehicle to the boom.

"No, he does _not_ ," Karen commented as she walked around Trevor. "What did I tell you, Trev? There's nothing." Turning to Franklin, she showed him the clipboard. "She understands now, and that it's quite simple to get their vehicle back. I even offered a pro-rated price if they get it within a certain time. You know, for storage fees and such."

"Good work, Kar," Franklin said as he headed back to the driver's side door.

Karen took up her seat in the middle, checking a few things off on a paper on the clipboard and grabbing the receiver for the radio. She informed their dispatcher that they would be on their way with a repossession, and Franklin quickly found the way back to the drop-off area.

"Man, we need a bigger yard," Franklin said as he stepped out of the tow truck.

Trevor held out his hand for Karen, helping her out of the truck. "What about the scrapyard?" she asked as she rounded the back of the truck. "I heard it's up for sale."

"What, you want to buy it for me?" Franklin asked with a small laugh as he proceeded to unstrap the vehicle.

"Hey, maybe we could," Trevor put in as he undid the other side of straps.

"Man, are you serious?" Franklin asked as he stepped back. "You know what, never mind. I don't want to have to owe you for anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trevor questioned in a flat voice. "Am I not good enough for you, Frankie?"

"Guys, come on," Karen said. "If we're actually going to think seriously about this, the bickering should be at a minimum."

"Hey, I'm as cool as a cucumber," Trevor told her. "It's your boy Franklin over here that doesn't want to work well with his fellow employees."

"Whatever, man," Franklin said with a wave of his hand. He was momentarily distracted as his cell phone began to chime out.

Karen turned to look at Trevor as Franklin answered his phone.

"What are you really working out?"

"To purchase?" he asked to clarify. With a nod of her head, he shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. They're going to want something up front. And perhaps to keep some of deal – "

"What the fuck you talking about, Lamar? I just started working, dog."

Karen and Trevor both turned their heads to Franklin at the outburst.

"Alright, dude, calm down. I'll be right there."

"What's wrong, Frankie?" Karen asked, approaching where her friend stood.

"It's fucking Lamar. He caught up in some bullshit. I have to go help him."

"Want us to come with?" Trevor asked.

"Nah, homie. I got this. You and Karen can do more pickups if you want. Karen knows all the shit."

"Sure thing, homie," Trevor said as he walked towards the driver's side of Franklin's tow truck. "We got you covered."

"Thanks, dog. And no sexual encounters inside of my truck, dude. I gotta sit and work in there."

Karen let out a short laugh as she slid into the truck from the passenger side and grabbed the clipboard. They watched Franklin drive away in his white Buffalo as they settled into the truck. Trevor watched her write on the clipboard for a few minutes before speaking.

"Why don't we go over to the scrapyard? See what the deal is?"

"Sure," she answered softly as she continued to write.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him shift the truck into gear, and they barely drove out of the towing lot before Trevor was reaching for her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, concerned even more when he cut a vehicle off as they came to the red light.

"I wanna hold your hand," he calmly said.

"You can't."

Trevor's head snapped to look at her for a few long moments. The car behind them honked its horn, notifying Trevor that the light had turned green. With a heavy foot on the gas, he continued to the scrapyard. Karen could tell his feelings were hurt, but she couldn't help the smile on her face at the innocent look on his.

"You're driving, and I'm left handed, my dear," she explained, her voice still soft. "I'll hold your hand as we walk around the junkyard, I promise."

"You better," his gruff voice said, making Karen laugh.

"""""

"So," Karen said, giving his hand a squeeze. "What do you think? Should we venture into this?" She looked around once more, feeling more at home here than she anticipated. "It could come in use."

"It would be handy to have a place to do dirty work," he said, confirming her thoughts.

"Trev, don't say that out loud," she chided, slapping his chest.

"What? No one's around us. The guy is so happy to finally get someone interested in this graveyard of machinery, that I'm sure he'll overlook anything." He, too, looked around the area. "Where'd the guy say he wanted to go?"

"Retire to Vice City, I think he said. His daughter wants him to move in so she can watch over him now that he's older," she informed him. "And the son doesn't want to take over the business. Some uppity business dude."

"Good, then we shouldn't have any problems haggling this guy down if the heir doesn't want any bother."

"This is all your deal, though," she told him. "I have enough going on financially narrowing down what house to get."

He turned to face her. "But your name will be on it."

"Why would it be? I'm not contributing anything to it."

"Kitten, we go into things together."

"You don't have to, Trevor," she said calmly, smoothing her fingers over the side of his face. "It's okay, honey. Really."

"We're doing this together," he insisted still. "Alright? Because we're going to get married one day, and it'll just make things easier."

She let out a laugh, although she had a feeling he was completely serious. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, pulling her flush against his body.

"Marriage, Trev? Don't you think it's a little early to even consider that?"

"Thanks for stopping by! Come on, right this way," a tired, haggard voice said in their direction. Karen immediately looked towards the elderly man, but Trevor kept his eyes steadily on Karen. When she started to pull away from him, he brought her right back.

"Hey, I'm serious," he told her. "I'm not playing around here."

She froze, slowing down her breathing as she looked into his gold eyes. "I know." Grabbing his hand, she looked down at it, her manicured thumb rubbing over a scar. "Let's do this."

"""""

He could feel her nails digging into his flesh. Her body began shaking as he gripped her sides, feeling as though he couldn't possibly press against her close enough.

"Fuck, Karen."

Her soft hands grasped his face and brought him down to her. The second her lips touched his, he could feel himself explode. She moaned into his mouth as she felt the hotness within her, only spurring on his emotions. She gasped for breath when he lowered his head to her chest, his own breathing heavy.

"I'm glad we bought this place," she said, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. "Exploring it might be the best thing we do."

"Oh, sugar tits, the only thing I want to explore is you."

He leaned over her for one more kiss before stepping away from the back of the truck.

"I can't believe we just did that," Karen said, hopping down to pull her jeans up. Trevor tucked himself back into his pants before going over to the passenger door and opening it.

"Franklin said don't do anything _inside_ the truck," he reminded her. "He never said anything about the outside."

"You are so bad," she laughed, remembering her friend's words.

He kissed her, their lips lingering together. The musky scent of him drove her wild, and she felt like she couldn't get enough of him. Her hands ran down his arms, memorizing every imperfection. When he lifted away, she studied the tattoos decorating his arms. She could feel him watching her as she fingered over the ink present on his skin.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that sometimes I think about things from years ago."

"Maybe you need some closure."

She pressed her lips together, placing her hands on his chest. "I've accepted that things went the way they did. But that's the thing. I feel drawn to this life we live for a reason, and I haven't quite figured out why exactly."

"Hey, why don't we go down to Vice City when the club is finally done?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it'll be great." He held her hand as she stepped up into the truck.

She waited for him to hop into the driver's seat before asking, "You'd really take the time to go all the way to Florida with me?"

"Of course I'd go with you," he said, starting up the truck. "We'll be going together, Kitten. It'll be fun. We'll go sight-seeing and eat out every day. What do you say?"

She squealed with excitement. "You know I've been wanting to go. But everything has to be completed and running smoothly before we leave, or I'll never relax."

"Sure thing, Kitten." He grabbed her hand, lifting it to kiss her soft skin. "You know, we own stuff together now. Properties and assets."

She thought, nodding her head at the fact. "A couple of things."

"So," he continued slowly. "That means we should probably get married."

"That is the second time you've said that today, Trevor. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "What's wrong with wanting to blend our lives together forever?"

She patted his hand on the steering wheel as they navigated out of the scrapyard to the highway. "I think we're about as integrated as we're going to get right now, my dear."

"Marriage and about seven kids would be enough for me."

"Seven? I'm not Snow White, Trevor. I don't think that'll happen."

"They weren't her kids. They were random men she invaded. These will be our kids."

"So we'll be invaded for the rest of our lives?"

"If it means you'll stay with me, I don't mind."

Karen looked at him as he continued to drive. Anyone who didn't truly know Trevor would be shocked by his words. She realized early on, by observing his odd relationship with Michael, that once he was emotionally attached to someone, he clung to them. And if he felt like he wasn't getting it in return, he'd wonder for the rest of his days what he did wrong.

She didn't want to leave him wondering. She didn't want to make him think that he wasn't the one she chose. She wanted him to always know that she loved him and cared for him. He was slowly becoming her world. There wasn't even a question that she was his. He had made it known to her from the start of their relationship. Only she had been too guarded of her past to assure him of anything.

But she would now. She'd stop letting past relationships determine her future one. She only wanted Trevor now, and nothing would change that. The closeness she felt between the two of them wasn't simply infatuation. It was something they'd both been looking for; Two hurt souls trying to heal together. And that's what she would give him, because she knew he'd give it to her.


End file.
